{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/11/military/ahead-of-veterans-day-blackburn-leads-colleagues-in-introducing-resolution-recognizing-importance-of-community-care", "Ahead of Veterans Day, Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Introducing Resolution Recognizing Importance of Community Care", "2025-11-10", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Ahead of Veterans Day, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced a resolution recognizing community care as essential to meeting veterans\u2019 health care needs:\n\n\u201cFederal government bureaucracy should not get in the way of America\u2019s veterans getting the health care they need,\u201d said Senator Blackburn. \u201cThis resolution reaffirms my commitment to ensuring veterans in Tennessee and across America can access high-quality, affordable, and veteran-centered health care.\u201d\n\n\u201cVeterans deserve prompt, high-quality care and greater flexibility in choosing when, where, and how to use the healthcare benefits they have earned through their service,\u201d said Senator Moran. \u201cThis resolution restates our dedication to making certain that all veterans have a choice in where they receive care \u2013 whether at VA or in the community \u2013 and the importance of strong community care partnerships to the VA healthcare system. I thank my colleague, Sen. Blackburn, for leading this resolution and for her continued support of our nation\u2019s veterans.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur veterans deserve the best care possible, and that means ensuring they can access timely, high-quality treatment through VA facilities and trusted community providers,\u201d said Senator Tillis. \u201cThis resolution cuts red tape and makes sure no veteran is forced to wait for the care they\u2019ve earned.\u201d\n\nSenators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) co-sponsored this resolution.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nA decade ago, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) faced a nationwide access-to-care crisis that left many veterans waiting too long for essential medical services. In response, Congress passed the VA MISSION Act, a bipartisan reform designed to ensure that veterans could access timely, high-quality care, including through community providers when the VA could not meet veterans\u2019 needs.\n\nCommunity care has become an indispensable part of the VA health care system, expanding veterans\u2019 options and improving access, especially for those living in rural areas, facing mobility or transportation challenges, or requiring specialized treatment.\n\nSpecifically, this resolution:\n\nRecognizes community care as an essential tool for meeting veterans\u2019 health care needs;\n\nAffirms that community care complements the VA\u2019s mission to serve veterans;\n\nUrges the VA to fully and faithfully implement the VA MISSION Act, ensuring veterans can seek community care when the VA cannot provide timely or appropriate treatment; and\n\nReaffirms the Senate\u2019s commitment to ensuring every veteran has access to high-quality, affordable, and veteran-centered care, whether provided at a VA facility or through community providers.\n\nRELATED\n\nBlackburn, Tuberville Support Expanding Veterans\u2019 Access to Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids\n\nBlackburn, Booker, Boozman, Rosen, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Honoring Female Veterans\n\nBlackburn, Colleagues Introduce Veterans Health Care Freedom Act", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/11/military/ahead-of-veterans-day-blackburn-leads-colleagues-in-introducing-resolution-recognizing-importance-of-community-care"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8447549771517515, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}