WASHINGTON — In the face of criticism, Pennsylvania's Republican Sen. Pat Toomey is continuing to defend his opposition to what he calls a "budget gimmick" in an historic veterans health spending bill that received overwhelming Senate support in June.
Toomey, who was one of 14 Republican "no" votes earlier this summer, is reiterating his argument against shuffling $390 billion in Veterans Affairs spending from the government's discretionary category to an annual mandatory, automatic spending category — the way in which programs like Social Security are categorized.
The proposal, titled the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT Act, would expand eligibility to veterans diagnosed with certain cancers, respiratory diseases and other conditions after serving in various locations like Iraq and Afghanistan, where open burn pits were common, or in Vietnam or the Enewetak Atoll, where service members faced other toxic exposures.
