Political Quotes

“I rise today in support of the bipartisan Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act. I will start my remarks by saying that Chairman Isakson was here earlier, and he had a meeting he had to get to. Johnny has been through a tough surgery, and it is good to have Johnny back. But the fact of the matter is he supports this bill. He is an original cosponsor of this bill. The same could be said of Senator Blumenthal, who also had a meeting and wanted to be here, once again. We heard from Senator Schatz earlier. This bill truly has bipartisan support, not only in the VA Committee but also in this body. The reason people support this piece of legislation is because it brings much needed reforms to the Choice Program while ensuring that veterans can access care in their communities. It is a good bill. A few years back, the Choice Program was established with the very best of intentions. In my home State of Montana, it is a fact that veterans were waiting far too long for an appointment at the VA and oftentimes had to drive over 100 miles for the appointment. The Choice Program was supposed to allow these veterans to access care closer to home. Unfortunately, it has not been working out the way it should, and veterans have been inundated with redtape and a government contractor that struggles to schedule appointments and pay providers on time.…”