WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) released the following statement after voting to pass the PACT Act.

“The Biden administration and Democrats have played politics with this bill, it could have passed last week had Leader Schumer simply done what he did today—allow amendment votes. It’s unfortunate that some chose to exploit this issue for political points with misleading rhetoric. I unequivocally support providing coverage to service members affected by toxic burn pit exposure, and have been consistent in my votes throughout this process. 

“In June, I voted against cloture to allow for an amendment process. Although amendments weren’t allowed, I ultimately voted for final passage. Last week when the bill came back, I again voted to allow for an amendment process. I supported an amendment to pay for this bill. I supported an amendment to fix an extraneous provision in the bill that could be used to allow an additional $400 billion dollars in spending unrelated to veterans over the next 10 years. And I supported an amendment to address testimony given earlier this year from VA Secretary McDonough suggesting the VA may not have the capacity to handle the increased volume of claims created by this bill.

“Our veterans deserve high quality care in a timely manner and the Community Care program was designed to do exactly that. Although these amendments were not ultimately adopted, our veterans deserve quality care from the VA and support from Congress for conditions they develop as a result of their service to our country, and I again voted for final passage.”

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