Honoring Our PACT Act ensures North Carolina veterans exposed to toxic burn pits receive the health care they need
This morning, veterans Dan McCready, Willie Fleming, Pastor Mark Rowden, and Brian Cross held a press conference criticizing Congressman Ted Budd for his vote against the Honoring Our PACT Act that will deliver generations of toxic-exposed veterans their earned health care and benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs for the first time in the nation’s history.
“I am not sure if Congressman Budd has ever served a day in the military, but to me – that vote is a slap in the face. Knowing the physical toll it took on my body and countless other veterans like me, for him to deny veterans health care is heartless. We need a leader in the U.S. Senate who puts veterans first, but Ted Budd has decided that politics matter more,” said Pastor Mark Rowden, a U.S. Army veteran who was exposed to toxic burn pits during his service.
“In Congressman Ted Budd, there is a clear mission failure. We have a solemn duty to take care of our veterans, those who made significant sacrifices to protect our freedoms. That includes providing the health care they need and deserve. When given the choice, he decided to leave our sickest veterans in the lurch. That is not the type of leader we need in the U.S. Senate,” said USMC veteran Dan McCready.
“We need partners in Washington who fight with all they have to get veterans what they have earned and deserve. We need leaders who understand what veterans need and take action to fulfill the sacred responsibility we have to take care of our service members when they return home. That’s why it is so appalling to me that Congressman Ted Budd would vote against the Honoring Our Pact Act,” said U.S. Army veteran Willie Fleming.
“North Carolina has one of the largest populations of veterans and military families in the country. If there is one thing for sure that our next U.S. Senator should do it would be to honor our obligation to support them. And that should not be a partisan issue. Congressman Budd doesn’t get that. His vote against this bill is showing every single veteran across Charlotte and this state that he does not care about them,” said USMC veteran Brian Cross.
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