WASHINGTON — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said this Tuesday following the Senate’s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and an appropriations bill that would fund military construction and veterans affairs for fiscal year 2016:

“Today, Congress acted in a bipartisan fashion to support the finest among us, as well as their families and their loved ones. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act will provide for the benefits and care that our veterans deserve. I am pleased that language I proposed to ensure that reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) are available to the public was included in final passage. Tragically, we have learned that the VA OIG’s decision to keep hundreds of reports from the public, including one on dangerous practices of overprescription of opiates at the Tomah VA Medical Center that resulted in the death of at least one Wisconsin veteran, can literally be a matter of life or death.  Americans deserve transparency and accountability from the VA, and my hope is that this requirement will prevent mistreatment and substandard care of our veterans in the future.  

“I am also pleased that the Senate has again passed the National Defense Authorization Act with strong bipartisan support. I urge President Obama to move quickly in signing this important piece of legislation that supports our troops and national defense into law.”

Related content here.

###