Senate rejects PACT Act protections, sending 'signal' that benefits could be cut, vet group says

The Senate voted against a non-binding resolution calling for the protection of health care benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits during their service.

Introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), ranking member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, the measure aimed to “ensure full and uninterrupted funding” for health care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs provided by the PACT Act as well as “preventing any cuts or delays.”

Early in the morning on Friday, the Senate rejected the measure in a 52-47 vote. Republicans overwhelmingly voted against it, with the exception of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) who voted in favor of the majority-Democrat-backed amendment. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) did not vote.

The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, passed in August 2022, known as the PACT Act deemed 23 illnesses — including lung cancer — to be service-related for veterans who were exposed to burn pit toxins during deployment. Burn pits were commonly used at military sites to get rid of waste during wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The chemicals that veterans were exposed to from those pits have since been linked to numerous illnesses.

Approximately 3.5 million American veterans were exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards during conflicts in the last two decades, according to the veterans’ advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

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