Transcript of Pelosi Remarks at Press Event on PACT Act

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, Members of Congress, veterans advocate Jon Stewart and former United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin for a press event on the importance of passing H.R.3967, the Honoring our PACT Act. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Raul Ruiz, for your very passionate and very well-informed comments about how we have to meet the needs of our veterans. The other day, within this past week, we had a meeting of our Veterans Service Organizations. We were talking about what comes next. But we did consider it a mini-celebration in anticipation that the PACT Act would pass the Senate. It is bipartisan. The Senate has worked its will on the legislation.

And we passed that version on the leadership of Mark Takano – where's Mark? Is Mark here? Chairman of our Veterans' Committee. He was so responsible for the legislation. Raul Ruiz – as a physician, as a public health expert, and as a doctor, Member of Congress – has been on this issue for a long time. And of course, the Camp Lejeune water issue that Matt Cartwright took part. Senator Tester's leadership was so important, and I'm so pleased that both he and the Ranking Member Moran voted for the legislation.

But I'm very sad that 80 percent of the Republicans in the United States Senate said no to veterans yesterday. 80 percent. 40 votes no.

Veterans have waited too long. Long overdue. Three and a half million veterans will benefit – have the possibility of benefiting from this legislation. Why subject them to this? Democrats, at the same time yesterday, we were having our rollout of ‘People Over Politics.' And when it comes to our veterans, we have always – it was always driven to vote, work in a bipartisan way. We think we owe that to them and try to find the most common bipartisan ground.

So this is very, very disappointing. It's very – it's hard to explain. It has an immorality to it, that 80 percent of the Republicans would say no to our veterans – defying what we say: ‘On the battlefield, we leave no soldier behind. And when they come home, we leave no veteran behind.'

So I thank all of you, because inside maneuvering can just take us so far. The outside mobilization has been essential to our getting to where we thought we were at the beginning of yesterday.

I thank Jon Stewart, John Feal – where's Jon? Are both of our John's here?

Jon Stewart. I'm over here.

Speaker Pelosi. You're over there.

Jon Stewart. John couldn't make it.

Speaker Pelosi. Give him my love.

Jon Stewart. I will.

Speaker Pelosi. But I mean, we all share the dismay in all of this.

It's a missed opportunity. It's a missed opportunity. It's hard to explain. But we will not stop until we get the job done. I don't know what we can do to convince the Republicans to do the right thing, except public opinion weighing in.

‘We know what happened,' you have to say to them. ‘Why did you abandon our veterans? Come home, so that when they come home, we leave no veteran behind.' With that, I'm very pleased to yield –

Senator Gillibrand. Senator Brown.

Speaker Pelosi. Senator Brown. And thank you, thank you so much. I spoke to Leader Schumer on my way here, because we all – in getting so much done as we prepare for what comes next. Sherrod Brown has been a champion on this issue, a proclaimed leader on it. I thank you, I thank Senator Tester. And now I welcome Sherrod Brown, as a leader for our veterans, to the podium.