{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-collins-gillibrand-shaheen-introduce-bill-to-improve-officers-access-to-care-at-walter-reed", "Cotton, Collins, Gillibrand, Shaheen Introduce Bill to Improve Officers\u2019 Access to Care at Walter Reed", "2021-05-28", "2021", "2021-05", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353\n\nMay 28, 2021\n\nCotton, Collins, Gillibrand, Shaheen Introduce Bill to Improve Officers\u2019 Access to Care at Walter Reed\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) today introduced legislation to ensure wounded officers and their families have immediate access to specialized facilities at Walter Reed.\n\n\u201cBrave Americans wounded in the service of our country deserve every measure of our support. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues on this important part of a long campaign to care for our men and women in uniform and hold their attackers responsible,\u201d said Cotton.\n\n\u201cIt is unacceptable that some victims of probable directed energy attacks did not receive the medical support they should have expected from our government when they were injured,\u201d said Collins. \u201cAmerican personnel who have undergone these attacks while serving our country should be treated the same way we would treat a soldier who suffered a traumatic injury on the battlefield. Walter Reed Medical Center has a world-renowned treatment center for TBIs, and our bipartisan legislation would ensure non-DOD personnel have prompt access to this top-notch care.\u201d\n\n\u201cOver the past several years, U.S. government employees and their families have experienced attacks that have left them suffering from symptoms of \u2018Havana Syndrome,\u2019 which include headaches, memory problems and brain damage. Congress not only has a duty to protect these men, women and families, but we must provide them with high-quality health care. The bipartisan Walter Reed Injury Recovery (WIRE) Act will ensure that individuals suffering from Havana Syndrome can receive care at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence at Walter Reed, the nation\u2019s top facility for treating such injuries. I am proud to work with my colleagues on this important legislation, which upholds our commitment to the men and women who bravely serve our nation,\u201d said Gillibrand.\n\n\u201cFor American public servants suffering from brain injuries due to reported directed-energy attacks, living with the symptoms of their ailments and having to fight for medical treatment has been an absolute nightmare. That is completely unacceptable \u2013 our personnel deserve better,\u201d said Shaheen. \u201cThis has been a top priority of mine for years, and I\u2019m glad to continue bipartisan efforts in the Senate with Senator Cotton and this group of lawmakers on new legislation that would require timely access to Walter Reed facilities for medical treatment. I\u2019ll continue working across the aisle to care for public servants who\u2019ve been targeted by these attacks and will keep up efforts to uncover the source of these incidents to protect American personnel.\u201d\n\nWalter Reed Army National Military Medical Center and its National Intrepid Center of Excellence has been the nation\u2019s premier institution for the treatment of traumatic brain injuries for more than a decade. The WIRe Act will ensure that all U.S. Government personnel who may have suffered a brain injury as the result of an attack during the course of their duties receives immediate treatment at this facility. It also directs elements of the departments and agencies of the federal government to remove any bureaucratic impediments to the immediate delivery of needed services.\n\nBackground:\n\nIn February, Senator Cotton questioned Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director nominee Ambassador William Burns about medical care for paramilitary officers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:49:40Z"]], "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.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-collins-gillibrand-shaheen-introduce-bill-to-improve-officers-access-to-care-at-walter-reed"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5610370319336653, "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"}