In her Friday video, the GOP lawmaker said that she “is so proud to be an American, and so grateful for the freedom we all enjoy because of you. Thank you for serving our country and sacrificing and believing so much in America.”
However, Hertling said Boebert’s video is an example of words not matching actions after she voted against critical bills for veterans in the past.
In August, the PACT Act was passed, which expands health care for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan and other chemicals, including Agent Orange, during their service in the Vietnam War. In March, Boebert voted not to provide nearly 3.5 million veterans with these disabilities benefits. Despite her opposition, the bill soared through the House and gained some bipartisan support with 34 Republicans joining in approving it.
In September, Boebert took to Twitter to showcase her pro-veteran voting record and was quickly met with opposition from Adam Frisch, her Democratic opponent in this year’s midterm election.
“With Lauren Boebert claiming she supports our Veterans over and over the last few days, we couldn’t stand by and let those lies go unanswered,” Frisch said. “Lauren Boebert voted AGAINST providing training that protects Vets and VA staff.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General Training Act, which Frisch mentioned in his tweet, passed last year and requires employees of the VA to undergo training regarding the reporting of wrongdoing to, responding to requests from, and cooperating with the Office of the Inspector General.
Political analyst and Florida Atlantic University professor Kevin Wagner told Newsweek, “Bills can be specific and policies are broader. I suspect she would argue that she still supports the military even if she voted no on a particular bill.”
Currently, Boebert and Frisch are neck-and-neck after Tuesday’s midterm election, with Boebert being just 1,122 votes ahead. It is unclear if the race will head to a recount or runoff election, but Coloradans have until Wednesday to fix any signature issues with their ballot.
Wagner continued, “If [Boebert] is perceived as not supporting the military it could hurt her with base voters in any future election.”
Boebert posted on Twitter on Friday saying, “I told you all year, the Left would do everything that they possibly could to get rid of me. As this race comes down to every last vote, I need you to help us ensure we have the resources to finish what we started!”
Newsweek has contacted Boebert’s campaign for comment.
