Veterans are protesting Republican Senators who have blocked a medical aid bill.

Back in June, a bipartisan coalition of United States Senators voted to pass the PACT Act. This bill that would provide veteran soldiers with guaranteed medical benefits for treatment related to exposure to various toxic elements like burn pits and radiation, which has left many veterans with chronic medical problems. However, last week, 25 Republican Senators suddenly reversed course, flipping their votes to no and filibustering, causing the bill to stall out.

In response to this, large groups of veterans have staged a protest on the steps of the US Capitol building, where they have been joined by various Democratic lawmakers, as well as comedian and writer Jon Stewart, a fierce proponent of the bill.

“As far as I can see, it passed 84 to 14, and then 25 Republicans switched their vote. So to me, that’s the problem,” Stewart said in an on-scene interview with NBC. “Switched it without an explanation, switched it without pointing to the bill and saying what was inserted. … Switched it without pointing to the bill and saying where the pork was. … They just keep going, ‘It’s a budget gimmick.’”

One of the veterans, Don Eggert, gave a speech on Monday, condemning Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson. “He has this kind of hypocrisy toward veterans,” Eggert said in an interview. “He’ll talk about how he supports veterans and how he honors our service, but when it comes to budget time, he’s not there to support us.

“We’re not leaving until this bill passes,” added another veteran, James Powers. “There are veterans standing here right now pushing through the pain — physical and emotional — that they’ve suffered from this.”

Lawmakers are looking to get the bill back on the floor as early as today.