Roy Blunt: “I join Senator McCain in thanking Senators Isakson and Blumenthal for the package we are putting together and talking…”

“I join Senator McCain in thanking Senators Isakson and Blumenthal for the package we are putting together and talking about. And I join them in thanking Senator McCain for coming forward and giving reality to this idea that many of us have advocated for some time--more choices for veterans, more competition to see who serves veterans. I think the numbers Senator Isakson has used here today would indicate that every month veterans are embracing this idea of more choices. It makes common sense that there are a few things the veterans health care system should be better at than anybody else. They should be better at post-traumatic stress, dealing with that unique battle situation so many of our veterans are facing right now. It is not a disorder; it is a problem veterans have because of what we ask them to do and where we ask them to do it. They should be better at IEDs, the explosive devices, dealing with the injuries that come from those kinds of attacks, eye injuries and others. They should be better, in all likelihood, at dealing with prosthetics because in the history of military service, so many of our people who serve have lost arms and legs. The VA has been good at prosthetics because of that. But, frankly, I don't know very much else we should argue that they should be better at than the place we probably drive by to get to their facility.…”