Tillis rejected the law because it directed the Veterans Administration to oversee the implementation of the act. The VA, in its own words, told lawmakers it was already overburdened with current obligations.

And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would schedule another procedural vote to break a GOP filibuster on Monday, trying to force the Republicans to let it pass. As of Thursday afternoon, Schumer had not formally scheduled a vote for Monday but has the ability to call for a vote at any time.

Eight Republicans joined all 48 of the Democrats present in supporting the bill, but that fell short of the 60-vote supermajority required to end the GOP filibuster. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer changed his vote to no at the last minute for procedural reasons, enabling him to force another vote in the future. The final vote was 55-42.

“This eleventh-hour act of cowardice will actively harm this country’s veterans and their families. Republicans chose today to rob generations of toxic-exposed veterans across this country of the health care and benefits they so desperately need—and make no mistake, more veterans will suffer and die as a result,” said Tester in a statement.

Toomey said Thursday he is still concerned about the funding shift and is “likely” to object to any unanimous consent request to let the veterans bill sail through, but that no one has presented him with any proposal yet so “these are procedural hypotheticals.”

“Thousands of Upstate New York veterans, and over three and a half million vets across America, have been exposed to toxins…