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A video showing Texas Senator Ted Cruz fist bumping Montana Senator Steve Daines and other Republicans shortly after blocking the PACT Act went viral online.
On Wednesday, the 'Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act' was blocked by the Senate after 42 Republicans voted against the burn pits bill, which fell short of the total 60 votes required for it to pass.
The 42 Republicans against the decision reportedly included 25 GOP members who previously voted for the bill in June. However, the Senate had to call for a re-vote after the House made technical changes to the bill.
The passing of the PACT act would have allowed veterans exposed to toxic environments like burn pits or radiation during military service to access better healthcare facilities.
However, Senator Pat Toomey, who led the opposition to the bill, dubbed the act a "budgetary gimmick" and claimed that it would create a "slush fund."
Shortly after the PACT Act was blocked, several citizens and prominent activists called out GOP members for voting against the bill. Moreover, footage showing Republicans celebrating the decision inside the Senate left some people enraged.
Twitter reacts to Ted Cruz fist bumping video after blocking the PACT act
The blocking of the PACT act has left several people across the US disappointed. Social media users were angered after a video of Ted Cruz fist bumping Republicans surfaced online.
Many also took to Twitter to slam the senator and other members for allegedly celebrating the event of blocking the PACT act:
As reactions continued to pour in online, a spokesperson for Cruz told Newsweek that the senator supports the PACT act but voted against the bill as the latest version contained alleged "irresponsible Democratic provision":
“Senator Cruz is a strong supporter of the PACT Act and our nation's veterans. However, this version of the PACT Act contains an irresponsible Democratic provision allowing Congress to recklessly spend an additional $400 billion on programs totally unrelated to our veterans”
The spokesperson also mentioned that Cruz was working with his Republican colleagues to advance the bill while removing the provision. They also claimed that Democrats were allegedly aware of the concerns before the vote but refused to fix the bill, causing the current stalling of the act.
They added that Democrats should work with Republicans to "fix this issue" and "to prevent inflationary spending" so that the PACT Act can quickly be changed into law.
Jon Stewart calls out Ted Cruz over blocking of PACT Act
Comedian and activist Jon Stewart has been an active voice advocating in favor of the PACT Act for several years. In the wake of the blocking of this bill, Stewart slammed Republicans for voting against the act during a speech at the Capitol.
The activist also spoke to MSNBC's Willie Geist during an appearance on Morning Joe and slammed Ted Cruz for celebrating the blocking of the bill:
“I want you to fact-check that while I am sitting here. Did Ted Cruz and all those other Republicans who voted yes on this bill and then switched their vote to no, was that the provision of how the bill was paid for when they voted yes?”
Meanwhile, Cruz reportedly spoke to TMZ at an airport and dubbed Stewart "quite funny" for his stance on the situation. The senator also accused the Democrats of conducting a "budgetary trick" by attempting to make "discretionary" spending and to "mandatory" by pushing the bill forward.
Jon Stewart further addressed Ted Cruz's comments and said his accusations were "inaccurate" and "not true":
“Now I’m not a big-city, Harvard-educated lawyer but I can read. It’s always been mandatory spending, so the government can’t just cut off their funding at any point. No trick, no gimmick, been there the whole f***ing time.”
The Daily Show alum concluded his argument by mocking Ted Cruz's fist bumping clip for celebrating with his colleagues after "removing those same veterans' benefits and healthcare for toxic wounds."
