Political Quotes

“as vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I want to associate myself with Chairman Shelby's remarks. Since the inception of the Choice Program in 2014, it has been riddled with delays, programmatic problems, and fiscal instability. In many areas of the country, the networks that were established left providers unhappy about the speed of reimbursement and veterans often trying to navigate a cumbersome system. Congress has had to provide $4.2 billion within the last year alone, just to keep the program afloat. That is why I am pleased that Senators Isakson and Tester worked in a bipartisan way to try and fix Choice by establishing a streamlined and consolidated program that will make non-VA care more efficient. However, to truly address these problems and provide the care that our veterans deserve, we need to not only fix the policy, but we must also provide the funding to enact that policy. This bill does not do that. The MISSION Act appropriates $5.2 billion in mandatory spending, $1.3 billion of which will merely fill the fiscal year 18 shortfall in the current Choice program. The remaining balance of $3.9 billion will provide enough funding for Choice through May 2019, but leaves the program short between $1 and $1.5 billion for the rest of the fiscal year when the new program shifts to the discretionary side.…”