Va Mission Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on an entirely different matter, in the coming days, the Senate will take up landmark legislation on one of our top priorities: providing more options and better care to America's veterans.

The VA MISSION Act is a major milestone in an ongoing effort by Chairman Isakson and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to ensure that our Nation fulfills its promises to our men and women in uniform, including more than 300,000 veterans in my home State of Kentucky.

What Senator Isakson and his colleagues have put together is one of the most comprehensive reform packages for veterans' healthcare since the VA was created in 1930. It builds on the substantial success of the Veterans Choice Act and harnesses provisions of 15 different Senate- introduced bills. This bill streamlines support systems, expands access to care, and provides new tools for attracting and retraining top caregivers.

The veteran who lives far from a VA facility but needs frequent followup care will now have easier access to local providers and walk- in clinics. The wounded warrior navigating difficult pain management routines will now be served by providers with clearer guidelines for opioid prescriptions. The retired servicemember who relies on a family caregiver will rest assured of expanded eligibility and program benefits for veterans of all eras.

It is hardly surprising that this bill has such a broad bipartisan coalition of support, including the endorsement of 38 of the Nation's leading veterans advocacy organizations. I look forward enthusiastically to considering it in the coming days.

I urge every one of my colleagues to support this legislation and send it to the President for his signature. It is not merely our duty but our privilege to improve and enhance the care available to those who have given so much.

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