Jason Bollinger, Democratic candidate to unseat extremist U.S. Senator James Lankford, expressed “shock and dismay” at Lankford’s vote against the bipartisan PACT Act.
“Pleasing his fellow extremists is more important to Lankford than caring for those who defend our freedoms,” Bollinger said. “That is not how we do things in Oklahoma. Every veteran and their families should be heartbroken and outraged. Those with whom I’ve had opportunity to speak since Thursday’s vote expressed these emotions and an intense desire to get James Lankford out of the U.S. Senate.”
“Lankford has turned his back on real patriots and declared himself unfit to serve.”
The PACT Act would have expanded VA health care eligibility to more than 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving in the military.
With Lankford voting no, Senators originally passed the legislation 84-14 in June. The U.S. House of Representatives made minor changes to the bill and passed it 342-88. When the bill returned to the Senate, it had not changed much, except for the votes of 25 senators. Lankford, voting no a second time, left our service members out to dry once more.
While it is unclear what prompted the flip, veteran advocates for the bill believe the move was political. Bollinger had another word for it: cruel.
“The level of cruelty toward patriots who are suffering is shocking. For a man who claims to follow Jesus Christ, this is a cruelty for which the Scriptures give us the only adequate response: ‘Jesus wept.’”
Bollinger said Oklahomans, however, have another option. “We can reject this cruelty and retire Lankford and his extremism,” he said.
“That’s why I ask for the votes of those who, like I do, believe in our veterans and are grateful for their sacrifices for all of us and generations to come.”
Original source can be found here.
