{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/12/veterans/blackburn-resolution-recognizing-importance-of-community-care-for-veterans-passes-senate", "Blackburn Resolution Recognizing Importance of Community Care for Veterans Passes Senate", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "NASHVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) released the following statements after their resolution recognizing community care as essential to meeting veterans\u2019 health care needs unanimously passed the Senate:\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 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 reaffirms our commitment to making certain that veterans have a choice in where they receive care \u2013 whether at VA or in the community \u2013 while acknowledging the essential role community care partnerships play in strengthening the VA health care system. I thank Sen. Blackburn for leading this resolution and for her continued dedication to supporting 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\n\u201cMississippi\u2019s veterans rely on community care providers,\u201d said Senator Wicker. \u201cThe VA health system cannot meet every imaginable need, and these providers stand in the gap for those who have given so much to our country.\u201d\n\nThis resolution is also co-sponsored by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).\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\nClick here for resolution text.\n\nRELATED\n\nAhead of Veterans Day, Blackburn Leads Colleagues in Introducing Resolution Recognizing Importance of Community Care\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", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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/2025/12/veterans/blackburn-resolution-recognizing-importance-of-community-care-for-veterans-passes-senate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.532623078674078, "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"}