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Veterans’ advocacy groups lashed out on Thursday after Senate Republicans blocked a much-anticipated bill aimed at expanding care for veterans who were exposed to toxins during military service. The Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act was the product of a year of negotiations between the House and the Senate, and Wednesday’s vote was largely expected to be a victory for veterans in need of care. (Williams, 7/28)

Comedian Jon Stewart, an outspoken advocate for military veterans, erupted in anger on Thursday after U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a bill to provide healthcare for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits while serving abroad. "I'm used to the lies, I'm used to the hypocrisy, I'm used to the cowardice, I'm used to all of it, but I am not used to the cruelty," Stewart told reporters outside the Senate during a news conference called by the bill's advocates. (Warburton and Horowitch, 7/28)

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) have sent Illinois-based Walgreens a letter asking  for the revision of its nationwide policy regarding pharmacists' religious objections when fulfilling prescriptions. In the letter, the senators have asked Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer to ensure customers' privacy is respected and that customers have a clear notice as to whether they will have full access to contraceptives at Walgreens stores. (Edwards, 7/28)

Several lobbyists representing pharmaceutical interests spoke to POLITICO about the mood on K Street about the lobbying effort, and most were granted anonymity to speak freely about their work. The stakes are high for Democrats to follow through on key promises to rein in the cost of health care before the midterm elections in November, and represent a major victory in the party’s 20-year goal of allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of medicine. (Wilson, 7/28)

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Agriculture-FDA Subcommittee, said legislators found “common ground on the need to increase investments for the Food Safety Inspection Service and the Food and Drug Administration,” and “worked across party lines to increase our investments in rural development and conservation that support the long-term health of our working lands.” (Downs, 7/28)

Senate Democrats on Thursday unveiled a measure to provide $21 billion in emergency funding to fight COVID-19, but immediately ran into roadblocks from Republicans. The measure would provide funding for research on improved vaccines that can better combat new variants and allow for the purchasing of additional vaccines, tests and treatments. (Sullivan, Weixel and Choi, 7/28)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has failed to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare overpayments, an independent federal watchdog reported Monday. The Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services conducted an audit and found that CMS has only recovered $272 million of the $498 million in overpayments the OIG identified 2018, but the inspector general located proper documentation for just $120 million of it, the report says. (Hartnett, 7/28)