Todd Tiahrt: “Mr. Chairman, I have 2 amendments at the desk, but I do not intend to offer them today. Both amendments were designed to…”

“Mr. Chairman, I have 2 amendments at the desk, but I do not intend to offer them today. Both amendments were designed to earmark money for Federal research and treatment for the Gulf War illness. Now, in 1991, about 700,000 American men and women served in the Gulf War. All of us appreciate their courage and their service and thank each and every one of them. More than 228,000 of these veterans have sought medical care. Over 100,000 of them have indicated they may be suffering from Gulf War illness. Their symptoms include sleeplessness, chronic diarrhea, nausea, memory loss, miscarriages, and even birth defects of their newborn children. Some veterans' organizations have estimated that several thousand of our soldiers have died, and their deaths, in some part, are related to their service in the Gulf War. This is a very real problem, but the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have been very reluctant to acknowledge this problem.”