Vets Official Criticizes Burn Pit Vote; Senators Expect Passage

The commander of a Nebraska veterans’ organization is expressing disappointment that the state’s two U.S. senators opposed voting on a measure aimed at expanding health care coverage for veterans. The senators said the bill has technical issues, but they expect it to pass.

On Thursday, the Senate failed to advance a bill known as the PACT Act to expand Veterans Administration health coverage to more veterans exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both Sens. Deb Fischer and Ben Sasse voted against a cloture motion to end debate and vote on the bill itself.

Jeff Baker, department commander for the Veterans of Foreign Wars for the state of Nebraska, condemned the vote.

“We are very disappointed in the failure of the Senate to pass the PACT Act and vote for cloture…veterans served their country and expect that if they are injured or illnesses are incurred while they are in the service that they should be taken care of, and their families as well,” Baker said.

Both Fischer and Sasse voted for an earlier version of the bill, which then had to be changed for technical reasons. A spokesperson for Sasse said the bill still needs to be changed to fix an accounting issue, but he expects it to become law. Similarly, a spokesperson for Fischer said technical details still need to be worked out, but she expects the bill to pass. Another vote on the issue is expected next week.