The Greeneville Sun

At center, debate moderator Mark Hyman shows 1st Congressional District candidates, Democratic challenger Marty Olsen, left, and Republican incumbent Phil Roe, right, the timer screens at the back of the Monarch Auditorium inside the Bristol Regional Medical Center. Incumbent Republican 1st District U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, of Johnson City, takes the podium at a debate in Bristol Thursday.

Greene County Dems Want Greeneville Roe-Olsen Debate

The Greene County Democratic Party is urging 1st District Congressional candidates to debate in Greeneville - a central location in a district that stretches over a large swath of northeast Tennessee. Incumbent Republican Dr. Phil Roe, of Johnson City, and Democratic candidate Dr. Marty Olsen, of Johnson City, are vying to represent the 1st Congressional District, which encompasses 12 counties, from Sevierville and Sneedville in the west to Mountain City in the eastern most corner of the state.

Some Tennessee Lawmakers Living the Life

Early in his U.S. Senate campaign, former governor Phil Bredesen shied away from talking about his opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn , preferring to focus instead on ideas. But a new TV ad paid for by Majority Forward, a Democrat-leaning group, dubs her as "Air Blackburn" for taking all sorts of junkets and voting herself pay raises over 10 years in Congress.

The Latest: Hoyos wins Democratic primary in Tennessee 2nd

In this June 20, 2018, file photo, Republican GOP gubernatorial candidates, from left, Diane Black, Randy Boyd, Beth Harwell and Bill Lee take part in a debate in Hendersonville, Tenn. The contest to succeed popular term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has attracted four leading Republicans who have put some $40.2 million of their own money into the race and have spent a record $45.7 million total.

Florida Congressman Vern Buchanan: The House Needs to Investigate VA Nursing Homes

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., is calling for a congressional investigation after reports found almost of VA nursing homes across the country are getting the lowest possible marks. Pointing to an investigative articles from USA Today and the Boston Globe which noted many VA run nursing homes suffered from neglect and misconduct, Buchanan wrote the heads of the U.S. House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees and asked for an investigation.

VA efforts to implement Cerner EHR face close scrutiny from Congress

As the Department of Veterans Affairs looks to implement a new Cerner electronic health record system replacing the agency's legacy EHR, members of Congress are letting the VA know they are committed to seeing the project through. "$15.8 billion over 10 years, including $10 billion to Cerner, is a staggering number for an enormous government agency," said Phil Roe, MD , chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, during a hearing on Tuesday.

PTSD & Pot: Veterans making Memorial Day push for legal marijuana

Veterans from across the country will be gathering in our nation's capital on Memorial Day this year to not only honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but to advocate for a cause that isn't typically associated with our nation's heroes -- the legalization of marijuana. Derek Cloutier , president and founder of the New England Veterans Alliance, meets with other veterans at the NECANN cannabis & hemp convention in Burlington, Vermont.

House Chairman Unveils Bill to Overhaul VA-Funded Private Care and Shutter Department Facilities

A key lawmaker in the House on Thursday introduced a measure to expand veterans access to private health care on the government's dime while also instituting a process by which the Veterans Affairs Department would begin closing underutilized facilities. The Veterans Affairs Maintaining Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act would provide veterans access to private sector care when the services they are seeking are not offered at VA, there is no full-service medical facility in their state, they previously were eligible for outside care under the Veterans Choice Program or VA cannot meet its own standards of care in providing care to an individual veteran.

‘Tremendous jolt’: 1 dead after train carrying GOP lawmakers hits truck

Republican members of Congress jumped into action after their train collided with a garbage truck in rural Virginia on Wednesday, in a crash that left one person dead and others wounded. Two lawmakers administered CPR and others carried an injured person across the train tracks.

Amata highlights Veterans legislation in final committee votes of 2017

Washington, D.C .- Congresswoman Aumua Amata highlighted veterans' legislation that passed the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the Committee's final votes of 2017. The bill was introduced in early November with the support of Congresswoman Amata as an original cosponsor of the legislative effort, and strengthened by an amendment in markup to better assess health care in U.S. territories, including American Samoa.

House Veterans committee chairman takes oversight on the road

The last stop for Tennessee Rep. Phil Roe before heading home for Thanksgiving was Little Rock, where the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs promised quick action on legislation increasing veterans' private-sector health care options. Despite concerns about cost, privatization and the influence of outside parties - such as the conservative Koch political network - Roe said Monday that the committee has come to a consensus on the Veterans Choice program and will likely advance legislation after the weeklong holiday break.

Word on the Hill: Kaine and Alexander’s Bipartisan Jam

Music lovers can catch Sen. Tim Kaine , D-Va., on the harmonica and Sen. Lamar Alexander , R-Tenn., on the piano this Friday night. Their band The Amateurs are performing at the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion , a music festival this weekend in Bristol, a community that straddles the Virginia-Tennessee state line.

House moves to extend choice program, end VA budget crisis

The House overwhelmingly approved a $3.9 billion emergency spending package to address a budget shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs that threatens medical care for thousands of veterans. The bill provides $2.1 billion to continue funding the Veterans Choice program, which allows veterans to receive private medical care at government expense.

House unveils plan to fix VA’s budget gap as deadline looms

In this June 21, 2013, file photo, the seal affixed to the front of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington. A House committee unveiled a disputed plan July 21, 2017, to allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to shift $2 billion from other programs to cover a sudden budget shortfall that could threaten medical care for thousands of patients in the coming weeks.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy returns from overseas trip highlighting NATO

U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy has returned from an overseas trip with a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House and Senate. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, traveled to Belgium, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and France on a trip that focused on NATO and defense spending.

Herald report on VA errors raises concerns with Seth Moulton

SEMPER FI: Bay State Rep. Seth Moulton has written a letter to the chairman of the House Veterans Affair committee after hearing the story of Brian Callahan, above, and others in the Herald this week. Staff photo by Christopher Evans U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton - alarmed by a Herald special report showing that the Boston VA benefits office bungled one in six traumatic brain injury claims - is calling for the House Veterans Affairs Committee to "fully examine" the issue, and is concerned the problem could extend nationwide.