Dennis Kucinich: “Today I, along with my colleague Bob Filner, am offering an amendment to restore an overall loss of $10 million in…”

“Today I, along with my colleague Bob Filner, am offering an amendment to restore an overall loss of $10 million in research funding dedicated to finding a cure for gulf war illness, an illness that directly affects over one-fourth of veterans from the first gulf war. This amendment has the support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. It has the support of the Vietnam Veterans of America, and the support of the National Vietnam and Gulf War Veterans Coalition. {time} 1700 According to the Congressional Budget Office, it will reduce total outlays by $7 million. Veterans of the first Gulf War suffer from persistent symptoms, including chronic headache, widespread pain, cognitive difficulties, debilitating fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory symptoms, and other abnormalities that are not explained by traditional medicines or psychiatric diagnosis. Research shows that as these brave veterans age, they're at double the risk for ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, as their non-deployed peers. There may also be connections to multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. Sadly, there are no known treatments for the lifelong pain these veterans endure. Gulf War Illness research was slated to receive a total of $25 million in fiscal year '12: $15 million at the VA and $10 million at the DOD's Gulf War Illness Research Program.…”