Each November when Veterans Day rolls around, Sen. Deb Fischer usually releases a statement praising our men and women who have worn the uniform in the armed services. Here is a typical spiel from November 10, 2020:
“Veterans Day is a time for all Americans to express our deep gratitude for the men and women who selflessly served our nation. It is a time to show appreciation for those who have fought to protect the freedoms that make this country great. I encourage every Nebraskan to find the time to thank a veteran for his or her service.”
But at other times of the year, Fischer votes against the interests of Nebraska’s veterans. In December 2015, the Senate debated H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet introduced an amendment to the bill to improve access to care for veterans across the United States. The amendment provided funding to hire more doctors, nurses, social workers, and mental health professionals for facilities that serve our veterans and also aimed to help improve VA medical facilities that need upgrades and minor construction improvements. The cost of the Bennet amendment was $20 billion to be paid for by imposing a fair share tax on high-income taxpayers – those folks with adjusted gross incomes of more than $1 million annually. Fischer joined with 51 of her fellow 54 Republicans to help kill the amendment.
More recently, in April 2023, Fischer voted against advancing S. 326, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill that enjoyed the support of eight Republicans, including Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, the top Republican on the Veterans Affairs Committee. The cloture motion fell three votes shy of the 60 needed to proceed. This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study the effects of cannabis on veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or chronic pain (i.e., eligible veterans).
First, the bill requires the VA to conduct an observational, 18-month study on the effects of cannabis on the health outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must report on the study and address whether it is able to meet criteria necessary to conduct clinical trials.
Then, if the VA determines that it is able to proceed, it must carry out a series of clinical trials on the effects of cannabis appropriate for investigational use, as determined by the Food and Drug Administration, on the outcomes of eligible veterans. The VA must carry out a long-term observational study of the clinical trial participants.
The VA may terminate the trials if it is unable to meet clinical guideline requirements or the trials would create excessive risk to participants.
The VA must ensure that the study and trials are representative of the demographics of veterans in the United States, as determined by the most recent data from the American Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census.
The study and trials must include mechanisms to ensure data preservation and registration as necessary (in an anonymous form).
According to an April 2018 story by CNN, Roughly 20 veterans kill themselves each day, 2016 VA research found, and there’s emerging evidence of a link to chronic pain. Increasing doses of opioids was also tied to increased suicide risk for veterans, according to a study.
Many vets see medical marijuana as a viable option, and the science, while limited, is starting to show promise in combating nerve pain. Researchers are also looking into its impact on PTSD and chronic pain. But some vets don’t want to wait for clinical trials. About 22% now use cannabis to treat physical or mental conditions, according to a recent American Legion survey which found that 83 percent of veteran households surveyed indicated that they believe the federal government should legalize medical cannabis nationwide, and 82 percent indicated that they would want to have medical cannabis as a federally-legal treatment option.
Many veterans organizations have stopped producing congressional scorecards examining senators’ voting records but in 2014 the Disabled American Veterans flunked Fischer with a rating of 0%.