Alan Grayson: “This amendment would increase the Defense health program account by $10 million in order to fund a cure for Gulf War…”

“This amendment would increase the Defense health program account by $10 million in order to fund a cure for Gulf War illness. Currently, there is no cure for Gulf War illness, and it affects over a third of the veterans who served in the first Gulf War. This amendment is identical to an amendment offered last year that passed this body by a voice vote, and according to the Congressional Budget Office, this amendment actually will reduce total outlays by $1 million. Veterans of the first Gulf War suffer from persistent symptoms, including chronic headaches, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms, and other abnormalities that are not explained by traditional medicine or psychiatric diagnoses. Research shows that as veterans from the first Gulf War age, they are twice as likely to develop Lou Gehrig's disease as their nondeployed peers. There also may be connections to multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Sadly, there are no known treatments for the lifelong pain and affliction that these veterans must endure through this disease. For decades, the Veterans Administration has downplayed any neurological basis for this disease, but recent research just this year has shown unequivocally that this disease is biological in nature. The time has come to right the wrong that our servicemen and -women have had to live with for over 20 years.…”