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Following Inauguration, Sen. Moran Encourages President Trump to Continue Prioritizing Veterans
Jan 20 2017
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, today congratulated President Donald Trump on his inauguration and sought his support to continue to prioritize serving our nation’s veterans. In a letter, Sen. Moran highlights the unfortunate reality veterans in Kansas and across the country face as they county to struggle accessing the benefits they deserve through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“I look forward to working with you during your presidency, particularly as it relates to serving our nation’s veterans,” Sen. Moran said in his letter. “During your campaign and transition to the Office of the President, you offered compelling reasons and proposals to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I hope to be your ally as we work to make certain our nation’s heroes receive the respect, care and benefits they have earned.
Please find below the full letter:
Dear President Trump:
I write to congratulate you on your election victory and inauguration as the 45th President of the United States. I look forward to working with you during your presidency, particularly as it relates to serving our nation’s veterans. During your campaign and transition to the Office of the President, you offered compelling reasons and proposals to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I hope to be your ally as we work to make certain our nation’s heroes receive the respect, care and benefits they have earned.
With your nomination of Dr. David Shulkin to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, I want to make you aware of the primary issues facing veterans in Kansas and my intention to work with Dr. Shulkin to prioritize and remedy these issues.
Veterans continue to struggle accessing healthcare through the VA. Far too often, veterans from rural areas are required to travel several hours and hundreds of miles to access healthcare from a VA medical facility. Despite the passage of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (Choice Act) and subsequent updates to the law, the VA denies veterans access to care for simple treatments, such as a shingles vaccination, that they could easily receive from a community provider. A VA pilot program for rural veterans that I spearheaded as a Congressman, which worked extraordinarily well by allowing veterans to access health care closer to home, was the model for the Choice Act. However, bureaucratic resistance to the Choice Act within the VA led to decisions that benefitted the VA but burdened those the agency is charged with serving. I seek your leadership and assistance to right the wrongs of the VA’s improper implementation of the law and the Veterans Choice Program, which Congress intended to serve veterans who shoulder burdensome travel or delay in healthcare.
The backlog in processing veteran’s claims for benefits and subsequent appeals is unacceptable. No veteran should spend years—sometimes decades—fighting to receive benefits they earned serving our country. While there is progress in processing initial claims for benefits, much of that progress is due to expediting claim denials, resulting in an increase in the backlogs of appeals. The net effect is an even more inflated backlog that stonewalls veterans who believe the VA’s approach to their claims for benefits is, “delay, deny, until they die.”
Mr. President, as a successful businessman, you have an appreciation for accountability and that terminations for misconduct or poor performance ought to be commonplace. My hope is that you will strongly encourage Dr. Shulkin to utilize the authorities Congress gave to the Secretary to take a similar tone and hold the VA’s bad actors accountable. In my home state of Kansas, we face a horrible example of the VA’s failure to hold corrupt VA employees accountable: A physician assistant with a criminal record sexually abused veteran patients and targeted those with Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS). Instead of immediate termination when the VA learned of his actions, he was placed on administrative leave and was allowed to voluntarily retire, which permits certain benefits that he earned during the time he was abusing veterans. Unfortunately, when I called on the VA to explain how they could have hired a sexual predator and why they did not immediately fire this employee, Dr. Shulkin’s written response did not offer the thorough explanation veterans deserve. This failure to act is unacceptable, and I hope that we can work together to make certain the VA acts in the best interest of veterans.
Once again, congratulations on your inauguration, and thank you for your commitment to our nation’s veterans. I look forward to working with you to reform VA culture, improve its care for our veterans and to make the VA an agency worthy of the sacrifice of the veterans it was created to serve.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):
“The Secretary of Agriculture serves as an important voice for rural Americans whose very livelihoods often depend on the success or failure of our ag community. Agriculture doesn’t just put food on our tables – the USDA’s role includes providing rural housing services, conducting research to expand our farmers’ production capabilities, promoting American-grown products abroad, giving consumers confidence in our food supply and establishing effective safety nets for our producers. Governor Perdue’s years of experience as an advocate for Georgia farmers and ranchers, leadership in the agribusiness sector, and practice as a veterinarian give him a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by rural Americans. I look forward to hearing more from Governor Perdue about his approach and priorities.”
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Sen. Moran Emphasizes the Importance of Kansas Exports with Commerce Secretary Nominee Wilbur Ross
Jan 18 2017
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) today questioned the President-elect’s nominee for Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, about a number of topics including the importance of trade and exports to the Kansas economy. Sen. Moran also met with Mr. Ross on January 4 in his Washington, D.C., office.
Sen. Moran Reintroduces Legislation to Honor Fallen Educators
Legislation Would Designate Memorial as National Memorial
Jan 18 2017
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recently reintroduced legislation (S. 167) to designate the Memorial to Fallen Educators at Emporia State University (ESU) as a national memorial.
“When someone asks the question: ‘other than your family, name a person who has made a difference in your life?’ the answer has never been my senator or my congressman. More often the response is a teacher,” Sen. Moran said. “Tragically, far too many educators have lost their lives in the line of their professional duty either at the hands of students or while protecting their students from adults perpetrating violent acts. As a nation, we should recognize together the incredible sacrifices they each made because of their dedication to educating, caring for, protecting, and changing the lives of young Americans.”
The Memorial to Fallen Educators is located on the ESU campus, in conjunction with the National Teacher Hall of Fame (NTHF). The memorial lists the names of educators since 1764 who have lost their lives while working with students. The memorial is built and paid for, and was dedicated in June 2014.
The memorial would still be owned and cared for by the NTHF and ESU, but would have the prestige of a national memorial. There is no taxpayer cost associated with the legislation – private funds will continue to be used to maintain the memorial.
Sen. Moran spoken on the Senate floor last summer to advocate for the national designation of the Memorial to Fallen Educators. Click here to view his speech and here for a transcript.
Click here to read the full text of the legislation.
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) this week contacted the incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus regarding the Trump transition team’s progress selecting a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary nominee:
“Not only does the Secretary of Agriculture matter greatly to farmers and ranchers in Kansas and across the country, this individual will play an important role in overseeing the vast functions of the department including rural housing, food safety inspection, farm loan programs and agriculture research efforts,” Sen. Moran said. “I emphasized the importance of a nominee who will serve as the voice of rural America – not just at USDA, but throughout the administration – Mr. Priebus assured me this nomination is a priority for the transition team.”
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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement regarding his vote to support S. Con. Res. 3, which sets up the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act:
“Canceled policies, difficulties in identifying new plans, massive premium increases, sky-high deductibles and limited options for doctors – the new normal for many American families under Obamacare. This vote gives us the opportunity to begin repairing the damage. I will work with my colleagues – Republicans and Democrats alike – to swiftly come together, offer real reforms to lower costs and improve the quality of healthcare, and ensure there is no lapse in care. Americans deserve freedom of choice and should have access to truly affordable, quality healthcare.”
Sen. Moran has repeatedly offered policy recommendations during his time in Congress to improve our healthcare system. Click here to view his remarks on the Senate floor last week outlining his plan and/or here for written highlights of those remarks.
The Obamacare repeal resolution will now be taken up by the U.S. House of Representatives. Should it be passed, a future vote to repeal Obamacare altogether will succeed with a simple majority in both chambers.
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WASHINGTON – On CNBC’s “Squawk Box” this morning, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) reacted to the president-elect’s border tax plan and discussed the importance of keeping jobs in the United States. Sen. Moran is a cofounder of the Senate Competitiveness Caucus.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement regarding President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Dr. David Shulkin to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):
“Millions of veterans across our country have been waiting far too long to receive the quality healthcare they deserve. Over the last several years, the VA’s leadership has failed to make desperately needed changes to ensure our veterans who have served and sacrificed can count on the agency sworn to serve them. I remain extremely concerned about the quality of care the VA is delivering, and I am determined to make certain Kansans can access the benefits they have earned. Despite having invited Undersecretary Shulkin to Kansas to visit our veteran healthcare facilities, I have not yet met with him during his time at the VA. He strikes me as a medical professional who cares deeply about serving veterans, and I look forward to meeting with him to hear more about his plans to reform the agency and restore veterans’ faith in the VA.”
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Sen. Moran to Continue Serving as Chairman of Senate Commerce Subcommittee for Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security
Position Empowers Sen. Moran to Build on Strong Advocacy for the American Consumer, Protect Data Security
Jan 11 2017
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) will continue serving as chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee for Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security for the 115th Congress.
“I am pleased we were able to get passed and signed into law last Congress two pieces of legislation that will benefit consumers in Kansas and across the country – the BOTS Act and the Consumer Review Freedom Act,” Chairman Moran said. “I look forward to building on those consumer protections through robust congressional oversight of the agencies with an eye toward removing burdensome regulations and practices that harm innovation and consumers. The world is an increasingly interconnected place, a phenomenon that allows all Americans to participate in the world economy in a way never before possible. I intend to use this opportunity to further empower Kansans who will change the world tomorrow.”
Chairman Moran continued, “In light of recent high-profile data breaches, the need to protect our information systems has never been greater. Companies and consumers facing data security challenges are looking for policy improvements, and I will continue working to make certain our nation is prepared to combat these cyber threats.”
“Jerry Moran is not only a hard worker, he is a good friend,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “I look forward to working alongside him again on the Senate Commerce Committee in the 115th Congress and continuing to protect consumers and boost our economy.”
The subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security oversees the consumer protection efforts of the following federal agencies: the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the National Highway Traffic Safety, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It also has jurisdiction over property and casualty insurance.
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Sen. Moran Reintroduces Legislation to Hold VA Senior Execs, Health Care Employees Accountable
Jan 10 2017
WASHINGTON – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Member U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) recently reintroduced the Increasing the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability to Veterans Act (S. 12) to make certain that senior Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) executives and health care employees convicted of a felony related to their position at the VA cannot receive the same benefits as those who honorably serve our nation’s veterans. The bipartisan bill unanimously passed the full Senate on December 10, 2016, but did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives before the close of the 114th Congress.
“Those who violate the sacred trust of our nation’s veterans should not be rewarded with unjustly guaranteed benefits at taxpayer expense,” Sen. Moran said. “While the vast majority of VA employees honorably serve our veterans, the VA has routinely made excuses for the few who do not. This legislation would provide some measure of justice for veterans abused under the VA’s care. Its value is reflected in the unanimous support it received in the Senate last month, and I will work hard to see it enacted by the 115th Congress and made law.”
Reforms made by S. 12 include:
- Holding VA leaders accountable for department mismanagement, hiring well-qualified people, and addressing employee performance;
- Preventing employee conflicts of interest; and
- Improving manager training.
To read the full text of the legislation, click here.
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