National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate and respect the debate that's going on today, and I want to thank the Rules Committee for making in order an amendment to this bill.
Mr. Chairman, currently private health care providers are treating brain injury patients with new and innovative treatments with remarkable results. And I am disappointed, however, to report that many of these treatments are currently not available within the military and veterans medical facilities across this country for our heroes who are suffering from traumatic brain injuries.
I have engaged the military now at the senior military leadership for quite some time, and I am not satisfied with the military's response to TBI, traumatic brain injuries. With that said, in an effort to further aid our military members and to fix this delinquency, I introduced the TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury, Treatment Act, H.R. 4568, in February of this year. I am offering it as an amendment today.
The TBI Treatment Act establishes a 5-year pay for performance pilot program. Essentially, what would happen is that any member of the military or who is being treated today by the Veterans' Administration would be able to ask for being able to go outside the military system to a private or free enterprise market system and to be able to have the latest innovative procedures applied to them.
Private health care providers would be authorized and reimbursed to provide proven treatments to active duty soldiers and veterans at no cost to the patient. I believe, and I believe the Members of this body believe, that it is important to work with the military leadership however they need help in getting to the correct answer.
I am asking for each of us today as Members to look very carefully at this issue and to join me in supporting this amendment. This amendment helps to expedite these groundbreaking treatments to make sure that, effective immediately and quickly, our Nation's veterans, who are suffering from TBI and the myriad of problems that come with that, will receive the most leading-edge answers available in medicine today.
So I ask my colleagues to please join with me in this bipartisan amendment.
Mr. Chairman, I also note as I stand that I am opposed to the provisions known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell changes. Yesterday at the Rules Committee we had a rather vigorous debate, and at the end of that debate when I had an opportunity to talk with members of the committee who were there, I said, Please tell me about the debate that took place in the committee. There was none. It should have been in the committee.
The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Chairman, I believe that this issue really demanded an opportunity for the members of the Armed Services Committee to fully debate and vet and lead the way on this issue rather than it being part of a political issue that is dominated by the Democratic Party.
I believe that the members of the military, honored heroes of this great Nation, should not be a part of a political agenda but rather be a part of good policy for this Nation. I think it's a slap in the face to the members of the military to be driven down a road that is driven by a political agenda from the left in this country rather than wise policy. I am disappointed. I related that to the committee and its leadership yesterday, and I will say it on the floor of the House today, that I believe that when we go forth in dealing with the military, we should go forth altogether and not as a political agenda.
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