- The Senate voted 86-11 on Tuesday to approve the PACT Act.
- The bill increases healthcare funding and access for military veterans.
- All 11 votes against the measure came from Republicans.
Eleven Republican senators voted Tuesday against a bipartisan measure, the PACT Act, that is designed to help veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals while deployed abroad.
The bill was approved in the Senate by a vote of 86-11 a week after 41 Republicans elected to stall the final passage of the measure, citing concerns over its cost. Twenty-five Republicans who voted against the bill last week voted for a nearly identical version of the legislation in June.
The effort to block the legislation caused an uproar among veterans groups, with critics arguing that aid for veterans was being held hostage over GOP opposition to another measure, the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes significant amount of money to combat climate change and lower health care costs.
On Tuesday, the 11 no votes included:
- Mitt Romney of Utah
- Rand Paul of Kentucky
- Mike Crapo of Idaho
- James Lankford of Oklahoma
- Mike Lee of Utah
- Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming
- James Risch of Idaho
- Richard Shelby of Alabama
- Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
- Mike Tuberville of Alabama
- Thom Tillis of North Carolina
All 11 senators also voted against the bill in June.