Jon Stewart Calls Out Republicans For Blocking Vet Health Bill: ‘We Live In The Upside Down’
The former ‘Daily Show’ host was furious with the Senators who tried stopping the bill that would offer more healthcare to veterans who have been affected by burn pits.
UPDATE (Aug. 2, 2022 8pm ET): On August 2, the Senate passed the bill to aid veterans exposed to toxic burn pits after Republicans had stalled the measure for days.
ORIGINAL STORY: Jon Stewart took to Twitter to voice his anger at the Senate for blocking the Honoring our Pact Act, which offered health aid to veterans who had been affected by toxins from burn pits. The 59-year-old comedian and TV host didn’t hold back when calling out the Republican senators who blocked the bill in a series of tweets on Wednesday, July 27. In particular he pointed to Republican Senator Pat Toomey, who had voiced his reasons for stopping the bill on the Senate floor. “You successfully used the Byzantine Senate rules to keep sick veterans suffering!” Jon wrote. “I’m sure you’ll celebrate by kicking a dog or punching a baby…or whatever terrible people do for fun!”
6 trillion for war- No guidelines or oversight…but for Veterans Healthcare?? Let’s play budget gimmick games. We live in the upside down.
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) July 27, 2022
Not one of these stab vets in the back Senators should get to leave for the Summer til this shit is fixed. Not one.
— Jon Stewart (@jonstewart) July 28, 2022
While all Democrats and eight Republicans voted to pass the bill, it didn’t meet the 60 votes needed to stop the filibuster, according to The Hill. Toomey explained his reasoning for opposing it as having more spending than just on the victims the bill is designed to protect. “My concern about this bill has nothing to do with the purpose of the bill,” he said. “This budgetary gimmick is so unrelated to the actual veterans issue that has to do with burn pits, that it’s not even in the House version of this bill.”
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Jon clearly took note of Toomey calling it a “budgetary gimmick” and seemed to point toward the amount of money that funds wars. “6 trillion for war- No guidelines or oversight…but for Veterans Healthcare?? Let’s play budget gimmick games. We live in the upside down,” he wrote. He promised veterans that he’d continue the fight, but he also had a strong message for the senators who blocked the bill. “F–k the R caucus and their empty promise to our veterans,” he wrote, before offering a suggestion in another strongly worded tweet. “Not one of these stab vets in the back Senators should get to leave for the Summer til this s–t is fixed. Not one.”
Jon Stewart: "Every one of those Republicans that voted against healthcare for veterans, voted for the slush fund for the war. They don't support the troops. They support the war machine" pic.twitter.com/EmMOc8O4oZ
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) July 28, 2022
After his Tweets, Jon also called out Republicans in an interview with the Conservative outlet Newsmax, pointing out how the senators voted in favor of war. “Every one of those senators that voted against healthcare for veterans voted for the slush fund for the war. They don’t support the troops. They support the war machine,” he said. “That’s got to stop.”
The former Daily Show host has been a long-time advocate for veterans, and he has spoken out on burn pits and called for justice for those who have been affected by them on his AppleTV+ show The Problem. He tried to show the effect of burn pits on veterans in the first episode of the show in September.