Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio was joined on the campaign trail Thursday by his brother Mario, a veteran, as the 2016 hopeful gave a speech on reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs.
During his speech before a town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, Rubio spoke at length about his brother before diving into his proposed reforms, which center around renewed accountability and choice in health care.
From the outset, Rubio touched on the age difference between the two, with Mario being 21 years his elder. Rubio told the crowd that Mario, 65, drove his mother to the hospital when he was born.
“Yes, he’s that much older than me,” Rubio said laughing, deviating slightly from his prepared remarks before explaining his brother’s situation. Mario served in the Army from 1968 to 1971 upon his graduation from high school.
“Like many thousands of other veterans, Mario is struggling to get the care owed to him for an injury he suffered during his service,” Rubio said, according to prepared remarks. “He was hit in the mouth while in jump school, bending his front teeth back in a way that became an orthodontic nightmare. He was driven to the dentist at Fort Benning where they did some initial work to correct the damage, but the Army never made an official record of the visit.”
“Today, he needs more orthodontic work as a result of his injury, but the VA won’t cover it. He’s had to file a claim and wait for a hearing, which could take anywhere from 18 months to three years. Meanwhile, he’s stuck waiting for the procedures he needs,” Rubio explained, adding that his brother is “going through the exact same bureaucratic nightmare” other veterans have dealt with.
Rubio argued for more public oversight of the VA and the ability to fire “negligent” workers.
The Florida senator, who is third in the Washington Examiner‘s presidential power rankings, also pushed for increased choice to make it easier for veterans to get care from private providers.
This was Mario Rubio’s first campaign trail appearance with his brother.
