April 2, 2023

There They Go Again - Mastriano Touting The PACT Act

Take a a look at this. State Senator Doug Mastriano posted it on this on his Facebook page recently.


And that link leads here:

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) is pleased to announce its 2023 Veteran Town Halls which will focus on the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. Each Town Hall will provide the commonwealth's more than 700,000 veterans with two convenient ways to participate: in-person or call-in.

The new federal PACT Act law expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. The Town Halls will provide veterans and their advocates with a convenient platform to learn and ask questions about eligibility and applying for benefits related to the PACT Act.

The Veterans Administration says of it

The PACT Act is a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.

The PACT Act adds to the list of health conditions that we assume (or “presume”) are caused by exposure to these substances. This law helps us provide generations of Veterans—and their survivors—with the care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.

This is HR 3967 and guess what? There's some stuff that Doug chose not to tell you.

This is what The White House said of it back in August of 2022:

Today, Congress answered President Biden’s call to strengthen health care and benefits for America’s veterans and their survivors by passing the bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. The PACT Act is the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed veterans in more than 30 years.

When it passed the US House of Representatives (256-174) only 34 Republicans voted for it.

No Democrats voted against.

In fact only two Republicans from Pennsylvania (representatives Fitzpatrick and Joyce) voted in favor. Seven voted against.

In the Senate, Republican Pat Toomey voted against.

While the vote is certainly bipartisan, its support comes overwhelmingly from the Democrats.

State Senator Doug Mastriano simply chose not tell you any of this while he's touting the Act to the veterans in his constituency.