On the recordMay 25, 2016
I mentioned what incredible leadership Mr. Alexander, the Senator from Tennessee, provides on these issues. I was pleased, as he was pleased, and I know the Presiding Officer was also, that last year, for the first time in 12 years, we were able to have an increase in NIH research. The future statistics that the Senator from Tennessee talked about on Alzheimer's and other things can be disrupted. In fact, that 2050 number of twice the defense budget spent on Alzheimer's alone with tax money--if you could delay the onset of Alzheimer's by an average of 5 years, you would reduce that number by 42 percent. So those research dollars not only have the impact we want to have on families and the individuals involved in that and other diseases we are dealing with now but also have an incredible impact on taxpayers, have an incredible impact on what we can do with the rest of the health care revolution that is occurring. The mental health effort the Senator from Michigan, Ms. Stabenow, and I were able to work on together a few years ago is about to produce at least eight States--and hopefully more--where, at the right kinds of facilities, mental health will be treated just like all other health. This Congress is talking about doing the right things. We are making important steps in that direction. Mr. President, I want to talk today about another thing that really impacts families--in this case, military families.…
