U.S. Senator discusses U.S. debt levels

KMTB recently had the chance to speak with U.S. Senator John Boozman to discuss a broad range of national issues, from rising debt and a growing shortage of doctors to efforts he’s spearheading to assist the nation’s veterans.

The conversation began with a discussion on U.S. debt levels and the perennial battle over the debt ceiling. The U.S. Department of the Treasury places the national debt at more than $31 trillion – or about $94,000 per U.S. resident.

Earlier this year, the nation hit its debt ceiling, kicking off an ongoing debt-ceiling crisis along with a political battle to address it.

Senator Boozman identified two significant risks associated with the nation’s debt and the debt ceiling issue – the risk of defaulting on debts both within and outside the United States, as well as the $1 trillion-a-year cost to service it.

Senator Boozman also lauded efforts by GOP members of the House of Representatives to meet with the Democrat-led Senate and the White House to negotiate an effort to address the debt issue.

Senator Boozman also took a moment to discuss a bill he introduced this month titled the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act. As its name suggests, the bill identifies the nationwide shortage of a well-trained physician workforce – particularly in rural states like Arkansas.

Senator Boozman’s bill seeks to address the issue through the relatively simple expedient of increasing hospital residency opportunities for physicians in training.

Senator Boozman admits his legislation won’t alone fix the nation’s shortage in healthcare workers. The bill, he explains, needs to be part of a broader and bipartisan effort to meet the demands posed by the country’s declining birthrate and its aging population.

One final topic brought up during our discussion focused on various bills spearheaded by Senator Boozman to assist the nation’s veterans and their families. He’s advocated for expanded benefits for veterans exposed to toxins during their service, expanded mental health services and increased educational opportunities. Most recently, Senator Boozman championed legislation to expand burial benefits and introduced a bill to study factors that best prevent veteran suicide.

Specifically, Senator Boozman’s latest legislation would provide desperately needed options for veterans in end-of-life care and their families.

Senator Boozman joined Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) in introducing the legislation, titled the Gerald’s Law Act. The act is named after a Michigan veteran who was denied the $900 VA burial benefit because he was not hospitalized with the VA at the time of his death.

For more information on this bill, and others Senator Boozman has introduced to support the nation’s fighting men and women, visit www.boozman.senate.gov.