Cord Byrd: “I want to highlight a provision contained within this massive omnibus appropriations bill, H.R. 4328, that addresses a…”

“I want to highlight a provision contained within this massive omnibus appropriations bill, H.R. 4328, that addresses a longstanding debt owed by this nation to the veterans of the Persian Gulf War. Title XVI of Division C of this bill contains the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998. In five short sections, the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act of 1998 lays out a sound, scientific process by which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may make a determination, based on the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences or other sound scientific or medical evidence, that diseases suffered by Gulf War veterans are linked to hazardous materials they were exposed to during that conflict. That is, the Secretary now has a credible process to determine what diseases should be considered service-connected for purposes of providing health care and disability compensation to Gulf War veterans. This is not some give-away program, but a long overdue recognition that Gulf War veterans may be suffering from invisible wartime wounds just as real as any left by bullets--wounds to their immune systems, to their muscles and joints, or to their internal organs, caused by the toxic fog of chemicals, oil well fires, and medications in which they were immersed. This nation has a long history of caring for the men and women who were wounded in her service, and it is a shame that it took over seven years to recognize and honor our commitment to these veterans.”