Senator Moran has a long history of opposing reckless spending in Washington, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee has pushed for spending cuts, tougher funding standards and broad reform. Senator Moran serves as lead Republican on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, which allows him to lead the funding decisions that impact men and women working at agencies like the Department of Justice, the FBI, NASA, the United States Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce, to name a few. This broad committee jurisdiction allows Senator Moran to advocate for priorities important to Kansans in many different contexts.
Making certain Kansans have access to affordable, quality health care has been one of my priorities during my time in Congress. To achieve this goal, policies must be implemented that reduce health care costs. These policies should increase competition and choice for patients, thereby expanding access to doctors, nurses and other health providers.
Access to hospitals and quality health care services is a deciding factor in whether Kansans can remain in the communities they call home and whether their children can return to raise families of their own. To ensure Kansas towns survive and flourish, the unique health care needs of rural Americans must be addressed. I have had the privilege of visiting each of the 123 community hospitals in Kansas to learn firsthand the role each facility plays in ensuring care for the residents of its communities. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Health Subcommittee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, it is useful for me to visit these hospitals and other health facilities to learn more about how providers utilize resources to care for patients, many of whom are spread across large areas of our state.
As founder of the first-ever Senate Community Pharmacy Caucus, I also support local pharmacists who play a vital role in our health care delivery system. In many Kansas communities, the local pharmacist is a patient’s most direct link to health care. I will continue working to preserve the special way of life we enjoy in Kansas by protecting access to quality health care in our rural communities.
In order to improve patient care, diagnosis and treatment, it is essential that we remain committed to advancing medical research. This research is essential to saving and improving lives, growing our economy and maintaining America’s role as a global leader in medical innovation. Our nation has long recognized the importance of advancing medical research, and given the vast amount of progress made over the last century — as well as the great potential current research holds — it is important that we continue our commitment to advancing cures and treatments for disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in our health care infrastructure while also reiterating the effective access to care that telehealth provides to patients, especially those in rural communities. In the aftermath of COVID-19, our health care system should bolster telehealth as a reliable option to serve patients and expand health care options and availability for rural Kansas.
I am a member of the following health care caucuses: