Political Quotes

“I thank the chairman for his hard work on the bill. None of this is easy. This amendment addresses a potential solution for our Nation's veterans and servicemembers suffering with PTSD and PTSI. Estimates from the VA paint a harsh picture that 7 percent of veterans will have PTSD, with about 29 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans having PTSD at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, far too few of these brave men and women find relief from currently available treatment in the VA, and failure here can mean suicide. The average number of veteran suicides per day was 17.5 in 2021. I shudder to think that, every single day, 17 to 20 of our fellow brothers and sisters in arms take their lives. These numbers, quite honestly, are unacceptable. They are unacceptable to this side of the aisle. I think they are unacceptable to the other side of the aisle, and they are unacceptable to America. That is why I am offering this amendment, which would increase and decrease Veterans Health Administration funding by $1 million for the purpose of furnishing stellate ganglion blocker, or SGB, treatment therapy to veterans suffering from PTSD. Already approved by the VA as a safe and effective alternative, the stellate ganglion block procedure injects an anesthetic agent into or onto a collection of nerves in the neck, and it is proven to alleviate common PTSD symptoms.…”