Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainMomentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day McConnell urges GOP senators to 'keep your powder dry' on Supreme Court vacancy McSally says current Senate should vote on Trump nominee MORE (R-Ariz.) is pushing to expand the Department of Veterans Affairs's (VA) Choice Card program, which would give more veterans access to private care.

McCain, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has introduced legislation that would make the current three-year Choice Card program permanent, and would make all veterans eligible for the program.

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Currently, veterans who live more than 40 miles away from a VA facility or who have been waiting more than 30 days for an appointment are eligible to get private, non-VA healthcare.

But McCain suggested that the program hasn't worked as Congress expected, citing the VA, which he said "has been slow and reluctant to implement this program since the law’s enactment."

"It has failed to adequately distribute and educate qualified veterans about the Choice Card, restricted some veterans’ eligibility to receive it, and tried to move critical funds away from the program altogether," he added in a statement.

Lawmakers passed the initial legislation last year, as part of an attempt to overhaul the VA's healthcare system in the wake of a country-wide scandal. VA officials were accused of falsifying records and creating secret waiting lists to hide how long veterans were waiting for an appointment.

McCain added that despite the initial legislation, "wait times are still too long and veterans are still not getting the care they have earned and deserve."

Before leaving Washington for a five-week recess, lawmakers also passed a short-term highway bill that would allow VA Secretary Bob McDonald to shift funds to help address the department's $3 billion budget shortfall.