Department of Defense Responsiveness to Records Requests and Tricare Coverage of Covid Tests

Floor Speech

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Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend remarks I made earlier this session during debate of this year's National Defense Authorization Act. During that floor debate, and many times previously, I spoke about the lack of accountability at the Department of Defense and the need for enhanced oversight. In keeping with this lack of accountability not only to the American taxpayer, but Congress itself, I wish to publicly request information from the Department that my staff has solicited since July of 2018. Namely, I seek information on behalf of Wisconsin-based PFC Lawrence Gordon Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that works to locate and identify servicemembers who remain missing as a result of armed conflicts. This request for information on behalf of a constituent is now entering its fifth year of processing--the time has come for the Department to be responsive to this records request.

Additionally, I also wish to mention another concern relayed to me by a separate constituent--TRICARE's inability to reimburse beneficiaries for personally purchased COVID tests from local drugstores. I encourage the Secretary to examine this matter and consider amending TRICARE reimbursement practices, and I look forward to working with him to address the concern (particularly during the current increases in positivity rates across the country).

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