11 Senators Who Voted Against Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans

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Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) heads to a vote on the Senate floor on June 8, 2021 in Washington, DC.

The PACT Act, which allocates health care funds for U.S. veterans suffering from exposure to toxic burn pits and Agent Orange, passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday in a vote of 86-11 and is now heading the President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Who are these politicians who voted against veterans getting the most basic care for diseases caused by America’s wars? Terrible, terrible people. Just the worst of the worst in Washington.

The bill passed the U.S. House in June and the Senate with majority support from both Democrats and Republicans not long after that. But there was a procedural technicality that forced the vote to happen again in late July. Only this time, 25 Republicans switched their votes. The Republicans came up with all kinds of excuses, but it was the exact same bill. They were just upset that Democrats were voting in favor of completely different and unrelated climate legislation that was finally progressing thanks to West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin.

Comedian and activist Jon Stewart did a stellar job of shaming Republicans for not voting for the legislation over the past couple of weeks, making appearances on TV while speaking plainly about how the the members of the GOP were making up pathetic excuses about why they had switched their votes. And on Tuesday, there were enough Republican Senators who were shamed into switching back to their original vote of “yes,” finally giving these veterans the health care they need.

But not everyone could be shamed. Click through to see the 11 U.S. Senators who voted against the PACT Act on Tuesday. They’re all Republicans, and they all profess to love and support the military. Feel free to give them a call in Washington or shoot them an email. We’re sure they’d love to hear from you.

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Mitt Romney (Utah)

Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) listens during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington,DC on July 20, 2021.

Sen. Mitt Romney from Utah voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that the bill was too expensive, calling it “astronomical and unjustified,” according to radio station KUER.

Funny how there’s always money for the wars, but it’s too expensive to pay for the health care of the people who fought them.

Sen. Romney’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-5251 or you can contact him using his online form.

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Thom Tillis (North Carolina)

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) laughs during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee nomination hearing for Michael Stanley Regan to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2021.

Sen. Thom Tillis from North Carolina voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that the bill would expand the number of people getting treatment at VA clinics, which are already overwhelmed.

“This legislation will have adverse operational and administrative impacts, and I remain concerned that it will result in increased wait times, delays in receiving care, and a substantial increase in the claims backlog,” Tillis said in a statement on his website.

Sen. Tillis’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-6342 or you can email him using his online form.

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Rand Paul (Kentucky)

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) departs from the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 28, 2021.

Rand Paul from Kentucky voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that the bill was too expensive and “puts our economy at risk.”

“This bill would cost hundreds of billions of dollars at a time when the national debt is climbing over $30 trillion and inflation is at a 40-year high,” Paul argued, according to The Hill.

Sen. Paul’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-4343 or you can send an email using his online form.

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Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-AL., during a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on February 23, 2021.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville from Alabama voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that veterans with prostate cancer, which isn’t believed to be connected to illness from burn pits, may wind up getting health care coverage under this bill. Seriously.

From an op-ed written by Tuberville himself:

The bill’s authors claim it only addresses illnesses caused by burn pit exposure. However, under the version that passed, the VA would be required to cover health care and process disability compensation claims for veterans who report having conditions like prostate cancer, which has no evidence of association to burn pits.

Can you imagine veterans getting health care coverage for unrelated illnesses while they’re getting disease related to burn pits treated? The horror!

Sen. Tuberville’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-4124 or you can send an email using his online form.

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Richard Shelby (Alabama)

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., speaks with reporters in the Senate subway on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020.

Sen. Richard Shelby from Alabama voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that the Democrats would spend the funding from the bill on other issues, which is a lie. The funding would have to be spent on veterans.

“Throughout my career, I’ve remained a strong advocate for our veterans,” Shelby said in a tweet. “However, the PACT Act would reclassify nearly $400 billion in VA funding, allowing Dems to instead spend that on their liberal wish list. I want to support the PACT Act, but this budget gimmick must be fixed.”

Again, that’s a lie. There’s no other way to put it.

Sen. Shelby ‘s phone number in Washington is 202-224-5744 or you can send an email through his online form.

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Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania)

Rep. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) questions Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during a hearing on the “Examination of Loans to Businesses Critical to Maintaining National Security” on Capitol Hill on December 10, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Sen. Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that the Democrats might at some point in the future use the money allocated for veterans for other issues, something that can’t happen.

“The PACT Act as written includes a budget gimmick that would allow $400 billion of current law spending to be moved from discretionary to mandatory spending,” Toomey said in a statement published on his website on Tuesday.

“This provision is completely unnecessary to achieve the PACT Act’s stated goal of expanding health care and other benefits for veterans. This gimmick would allow for an additional $400 billion in future discretionary spending completely unrelated to veterans over the next 10 years,” Toomey continued.

Again, these guys are just lying.

Sen. Toomey’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-4254 or you can contact him through his online form.

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Mike Crapo (Idaho)

Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID) speaks at the Senate Finance Committee hearing at the US Capitol on February 25, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Sen. Mike Crapo from Idaho voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse was that “Democrats created a nearly $400 billion slush fund for additional unrestrained spending,” which simply isn’t true.

When local Idaho TV station KTVB tried to follow up with Crapo about what he meant, since there is no $400 billion slush fund, the network said it didn’t get a response.

Sen. Crapo’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-6142 or you can send an email using his online form.

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James Lankford (Oklahoma)

Senator James Paul Lankford, (R-OK) asks questions of Deanne Criswell, nominee to be the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee March 25, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Sen. James Lankford from Oklahoma voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His excuse is that by treating more veterans, it will “greatly lengthen the waiting period for all veteran care” because the VA is already working with a backlog.

That’s a pretty genius way to deal with an overcrowded system. Just treat fewer patients! Problem solved!

Sen. Lankford’s photo number in Washington is 202-224-5754 or you can send an email using his online form.

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Mike Lee (Utah)

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) meets with Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson in his office on Capitol Hill on March 09, 2022 in Washington, DC

Sen. Mike Lee from Utah voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. Lee wanted to add an amendment to the bill that would’ve severely limited the number of veterans who could seek care, but that amendment failed.

Sen. Lee’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-5444 or you can contact him through his online form.

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Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming)

Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WYO) attends a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee nomination hearing for Michael Stanley Regan to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2021.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis from Wyoming voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. Her excuse, much like Sen. Tuberville’s excuse, was that veterans may get other illnesses treated that weren’t caused by the burn pits.

“It is critical that we provide care for veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits during their service. However, I am concerned about some of the illnesses, like hypertension also known as high blood pressure, that are currently listed as presumed to be caused by military service,” Lummis told K2 Radio in Wyoming.

Sen. Lummis’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-3424 or you can send a message using her online form.

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James Risch (Idaho)

Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, heads into a briefing for Senators by officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Agency on the state of election security on Capitol Hill on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Sen. James E. Risch from Idaho voted against giving health care to veterans on Tuesday. His refused to even give a reason for his vote when contact by local news station KTVB in Idaho.

Sen. Risch’s phone number in Washington is 202-224-2752 or you can send an email through his online form.

How to Contact the 11 Senators Who Voted Against Health Care for 'Burn Pit' Veterans

How to Contact the 11 Senators Who Voted Against Health Care for 'Burn Pit' Veterans

Excuses offered by the Republican Senators range from the ridiculous to downright dishonest.

Mitt Romney (Utah)

Mitt Romney (Utah)

Thom Tillis (North Carolina)

Thom Tillis (North Carolina)

Rand Paul (Kentucky)

Rand Paul (Kentucky)

Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

Richard Shelby (Alabama)

Richard Shelby (Alabama)

Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania)

Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania)

Mike Crapo (Idaho)

Mike Crapo (Idaho)

James Lankford (Oklahoma)

James Lankford (Oklahoma)

Mike Lee (Utah)

Mike Lee (Utah)

Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming)

Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming)

James Risch (Idaho)

James Risch (Idaho)