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Jon Stewart says there’s nothing funny when it comes to Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and his recent legislative vote on veteran healthcare.
The comedian and political commentator, best known as the former host of “The Daily Show,” harshly criticized Toomey and dozens of other Republican Senators for voting against a bill, called the PACT Act, that would provide additional healthcare coverage to veterans. Specifically, the act offers benefits to those “who were exposed to toxic burn pits” and “exposed to the deadly herbicide Agent Orange,” according to The Hill news site.
““Not one of these stab vets in the back Senators should get to leave for the Summer til this s— is fixed. Not one.””
“Not one of these stab vets in the back Senators should get to leave for the Summer til this s— is fixed. Not one,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
And Stewart called out Toomey, specifically — whom he’s been going after for weeks over the topic — with a blistering Twitter thread that began, “Congratulations @SenToomey You successfully used the Byzantine Senate rules to keep sick veterans suffering!!!!”
In the thread, Stewart added, “For the veterans, and their families and caregivers who will bear the brunt of this nonsense…this isn’t over…we will never stop the fight until this country honors its promise to you.”
Speaking at the Senate, Toomey said he declined to support the bill because it would include what he called a “budget gimmick.” In a statement, his office explained that the legislation “would allow $400 billion of current law spending to be moved from the discretionary to the mandatory spending category. This provision is completely unnecessary to achieve the PACT Act’s stated goal of expanding health care and other benefits for veterans. However, it would enable an additional $400 billion in future discretionary spending completely unrelated to veterans.”
Toomey also took to social media to deliver his message.
MarketWatch reached out to Toomey’s office for additional comment. The office said the senator’s remarks on social media served as his statement.
Stewart doubled down on his disdain in comments he made Thursday morning outside the U.S. Capitol.
Stewart has a history of rallying support for causes — most notably, for 9/11 first responders — and for taking Congress to task, as well. Some have even suggested that he become the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024.
So far, Stewart has balked at the possibility. “Ummm…No thank you,” he tweeted earlier this month.
