105 County Tour Continued Over Memorial Day
My 105 county tour rolls on, and during this leg, in addition to my town halls and community visits, I had the distinct honor to spend Memorial Day with some incredibly inspiring Kansas veterans in Topeka.
Throughout our nation’s history, military men and women have stepped forward to answer the call of duty. Our nation remains strong thanks to the courageous Americans serving in the military. Each year on Memorial Day we pay tribute to the men and women who so valiantly gave their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms and liberties our Founding Fathers envisioned.
In addition to the Memorial Day observances, I held two more stops on my 105 county listening tour. I want to thank the Pawnee County folks who turned out to the Town Hall meeting in Larned. We had a very thoughtful discussion – thanks for sharing your views!
We had another good stop in Kinsley where I had a chance to visit with the folks for town hall at the Kinsley Drug store.
I also had the opportunity to tour the innovative and impressive Honeywell avionics repair facility in Wichita and had the honor of greeting the senior Marine on site. Semper Fi.
Demanding Accountability at the Veterans Administration
Accountability is a virtue sorely lacking in the Obama Administration. From Benghazi to Fast and Furious, the IRS scandal to the rollout of Obamacare, President Obama has been long on words, but short on action. The culture of corruption and cover up at the Veterans Administration (VA) is the latest Obama Administration failure that demands accountably. That’s why I called on President Obama to demand the resignation of the Secretary Shinseki.
Late last week, Secretary Shinseki did resign. I believe this was the correct decision given the preliminary report released by the Veterans Affairs Inspector General revealing that the mistreatment of our veterans and the cover-up of that mistreatment is systemic at the VA. This failure of management and leadership is entirely unacceptable, and must not be allowed to continue. Our veterans have given so much to our nation protecting freedom both at home and abroad, and they deserve so much more.
It will take a long time for the VA to earn back the trust of our veterans, but it is a task we must take up immediately. Rest assured that I will work to ensure our veterans get the care they need and deserve.
If you are experiencing difficulties with the Department of Veterans Affairs, please allow me to help. A veteran myself, my staff and I are always ready to serve as a liaison between you and the federal agencies that serve you. https://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Casework
The First Amendment Can’t be Amended to Stifle Political Dissent
As the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules, I took to the Senate floor to tell Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to stop engaging in character assassination against the Koch family and to abandon misguided attempts to amend the First Amendment to stifle free speech of the American people. Those who regularly watch the Senate floor proceedings can attest that practically every morning, Harry Reid starts our session by giving a speech personally attacking David and Charles Koch and their families. The only thing he seems to do more often than block Republican amendments is attack the Kochs.
The First Amendment doesn’t exist to protect politicians’ jobs. It exists to protect the people. Leader Reid’s attacks on those protections have demeaned this institution and should stop.
To watch my full remarks click the video below. To read my remarks visit my website by clicking here.
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Introducing Bill to Improve Rural Health
As the co-Chairman of the Senate Rural Health Care Caucus I have introduced new legislation to improve rural health care, strengthen the rural health delivery system, and provide relief to hospitals and other providers serving rural Americans. The bi-partisan legislation is entitled the Craig Thomas Rural Hospital and Provider Equity Act (R-HoPE), named to honor the service of the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.).
The bill makes changes to Medicare regulations for rural hospitals and providers, recognizing the difficulty in achieving the same economies of scale as large urban facilities. It also equalizes Medicare’s disproportionate share hospital payments to bring rural hospitals in line with urban facilities and provides additional assistance for small, rural hospitals that have a low-volume of patients. Often, these hospitals have trouble making ends meet under the Medicare payment system.
The R-HoPE Act recognizes that rural health care providers have very different needs than their urban counterparts and that health care is not one-size-fits-all. We were able to include provisions to get rid of Medicare’s ‘condition of payment’ known as the burdensome 96-hour rule, which is particularly troubling for critical access hospitals and, in turn, their patients. This is important legislation, and I am hopeful it will see quick action in committee and the Senate floor.
Check Senator Roberts’ Website, YouTube and Facebook Sites for Updates
You can visit my YouTube site for more information on what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and Kansas by visiting www.youtube.com/SenPatRoberts. It's a great place to find speeches and debates on the Senate floor, press conferences, interviews and Senate hearings. You can also stay updated on all these happenings on my Facebookand Twitter sites.
If you wish to contact me about an issue or want more information, please visit my website, roberts.senate.gov.
