WASHINGTON – Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) participated in a cultural event yesterday with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker and members of the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.         

Sen. Inhofe remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you to the Cherokee Nation for hosting us and Secretary Price today. It is fitting that as we are here at the Cherokee Veterans Center we recognize the special contributions of Native American veterans.  It was my distinct honor to sponsor and pass legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal Award for the Native American Code Talkers from World War II. I saw many of you in Washington in 2013, when we hosted the ceremony to present the award in the Capitol.

We also pay tribute to our veterans, like those who use this center, by making sure that all veterans have access to high quality health care and veterans services. I’ve been working to address many of the concerns veterans have in Oklahoma. We all saw the story two years ago in USA Today, recounting the horror story of five veterans in Oklahoma, underscoring the problems veterans face.

Since then, I have worked to pass legislation that makes it easier to fire poorly performing VA medical professionals and secured two new regional directors in Muskogee and Oklahoma City. Under their leadership, the ratings of these two centers have improved from one to three stars. But health care is an issue that affects and concerns us all.

I worked with other federal partners to assist Cherokee Nation in securing a joint venture to improve health care facilities. When completed, this joint venture will be the largest tribal health center in the country – showing a clear commitment to health services.

In the Senate, we are currently working to improve health care options for all Americans. Our current plan takes health care back from federal control and returns authority to the states, removing the “one-size-fits-all” approach that has raised costs and eliminated choice for Oklahomans. You know firsthand that in the past three years, premiums under Obamacare have tripled and there is only one insurer for all 77 counties in Oklahoma. The Graham-Cassidy plan will give you more flexibility in your health care by increasing contribution amounts for health savings accounts (HSAs) and allowing individuals to use the account to pay their premiums.

I want to thank the Secretary again for coming here today. We appreciate your commitment to hearing from communities across the country.