(Washington, DC) – Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., M.D., (R-South Louisiana) issued the following statement after sending a letter to Chairman Paul Ryan of the House Committee on the Budget about military veterans’ medical access problems:

“It’s shameful when many of our nation’s veterans must routinely travel more than three hours to receive specialized medical care for combat-related conditions. A recent CBS Evening News story called attention to veterans facing these hardships as Washington continues to ignore them.  Lawmakers’ refusal to authorize proposed leases for veterans’ community-based outpatient clinics prolongs these delays and increases travel costs for taxpayers.  

“I’m pleased House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jeff Miller, 66 members of the House and Senate, and a coalition of national veterans’ groups joined my bipartisan effort to move forward on these VA clinics before another year passes. In the interest of these wounded warriors, I ask the House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to provide his explicit views on this matter before the end of this year.”

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A recent CBS Evening News story exposed the hardships veterans in South Louisiana, and across the country, face to receive healthcare.