Natural State News

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Springdale) recently helped to introduce legislation that would ensure wounded officers and families have immediate access to specialized facilities at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Walter Reed and its National Intrepid Center of Excellence are the nation's premier institutes, and have been for more than a decade, for treating those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, a press release from Sen. Cotton's office said.

"Brave Americans wounded in the service of our country deserve every measure of our support," Cotton wrote in a Facebook post. "I’m proud to join my colleagues on this important part of a long campaign to care for our men and women in uniform and hold their attackers responsible."

Other U.S. Senators partnering with Cotton on the bill include Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire). The WIRe Act ensures that all U.S. government personnel having sustained a brain injury during the course of their duties receives immediate treatment at the facility.

“American personnel who have undergone these attacks while serving our country should be treated the same way we would treat a soldier who suffered a traumatic injury on the battlefield," Cotton said in the release. “Walter Reed Medical Center has a world-renowned treatment center for TBIs, and our bipartisan legislation would ensure non-DOD personnel have prompt access to this top-notch care."

Shaheen said that working with sufferers of TBIs has been a priority of hers for years.

"I’m glad to continue bipartisan efforts in the Senate with Sen. Cotton and this group of lawmakers on new legislation that would require timely access to Walter Reed facilities for medical treatment," Shaheen said in the release. "I’ll continue working across the aisle to care for public servants who’ve been targeted by these attacks."