[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            VA MISSION BILL

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, I will start by congratulating Senator 
Klobuchar, who was on the floor earlier to speak about the 
Congressional Accountability Act, and Senator Blunt for their hard work 
to enact legislation that will make this place work better. It is a 
rare display of bipartisanship, coming together to improve our 
processes with regard to sexual harassment and other issues, and I 
thank them for that.
  Earlier this week, some of us talked about the veterans bill that 
passed this Chamber--another sign of bipartisanship. It passed with a 
big vote, and it will help our veterans in Ohio to get the care they 
need, where they want it. Going into Memorial Day, I am very glad it 
passed.
  We have heard a lot of concerns that my colleagues raised about 
veterans not being able to get the care they wanted in their hometowns 
or the specialist they wanted or not being able to get reimbursed 
appropriately for care outside of the VA system, and now they will be 
able to do it.
  Another part of that legislation that helps our veterans deals with 
an issue that is affecting all of the States in this body and sadly has 
become an epidemic in our country; that is, the opioid epidemic. It is 
an issue that some of our veterans are facing when they come back from 
service. Some have PTSD. Some have traumatic brain injuries and other 
injuries that require procedures. In response to the acute pain and 
some of these other conditions, they are given opioid medication. As a 
result, sadly, a number of our veterans have become addicted to 
opioids.
  This legislation will help by, No. 1, cutting back on the 
overprescribing of opioids but also by using nonaddictive pain 
alternatives--medicines that do not have opioids in them--and other 
forms of therapy to help them deal with pain. These therapies will now 
be used more in our VA hospital system. That is a good thing for our 
veterans.

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