Date: 2016-06-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. my good friend. Mr. POE. is a good friend and a great leader on these issues dealing with terrorism. but let me. sadly. join in opposition to this amendment. Over the years. I have worked with a number of persons in the Pakistani Government. But. in particular. I want to emphasize that the Pakistan military. over a period of years. has fought against terrorism and suffered a great treasure in the loss of their soldiers. I believe it is important that we continue to collaborate and. as my two colleagues have said. that we work extensively with oversight. We must be mindful that they do have nuclear capacity. I believe it is important that we are engaging and that we use these resources for them to maintain the security of these resources but. more importantly. to keep a collaboration with. in particular. their military operations which. overall. have been helpful in the war on terror. I oppose that reduction. and I thank the gentleman for offering his amendment. Mr. Chair. I rise to speak in support of En Bloc Amendment No. 1 to H.R. 5293. the Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2017. Mr. Chair. I want to thank Chairman FRELINGHUYSEN and Ranking Member VisCLOSKY for shepherding this legislation to the floor and for their devotion to the men and women of the Armed Forces who risk their lives to keep our nation safe. Mr. Chair. I am pleased that the En Bloc Amendment includes two of my amendments that were made in order under the Rule. The first Jackson Lee Amendment (No. 49) increases funding for the PTSD by $1.000.000. These funds should be used toward outreach activities targeting hard to reach veterans. especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas. who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Mr. Chair. along with traumatic brain injury. PTSD is the signature wound suffered by the brave men and women fighting in Afghanistan. Iraq. and far off lands to defend the values and freedom we hold dear. For those of us whose daily existence is not lived in harms way. it is difficult to imagine the horrific images that American servicemen and women deployed in Iraq. Afghanistan. and other theaters of war see on a daily basis. In an instant a suicide bomber. an lED. or an insurgent can obliterate your best friend and right in front of your face. Yet. you are trained and expected to continue on with the mission. and you do. even though you may not even have reached your 20th birthday. But there always comes a reckoning. And it usually comes after the stress and trauma of battle is over and you are alone with your thoughts and memories. And the horror of those desperate and dangerous encounters with the enemy and your own mortality come flooding back. PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans. but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents. such as torture. being kidnapped or held captive. bombings. or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. People with PTSD may startle easily. become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close). lose interest in things they used to enjoy. have trouble feeling affectionate. be irritable. become more aggressive. or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident. and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again. Mr. Chair. the fact of the matter is that most veterans with PTSD also have other psychiatric disorders. which are a consequence of PTSD. These veterans have cooccurring disorders. which include depression. alcohol and/ or drug abuse problems. panic. and/or other anxiety disorders. My amendment recognizes that these soldiers are first and foremost. human. They carry their experiences with them. Ask a veteran of Vietnam. Iraq. or Afghanistan about the frequency of nightmares they experience. and one will realize that serving in the Armed Forces leaves a lasting impression. whether good or bad. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 49 will help ensure that "no soldier is left behind" by addressing the urgent need for more outreach toward hard to reach veterans suffering from PTSD. especially those who are homeless or reside in underserved urban and rural areas of our country. The second Jackson Lee Amendment No. 67 included in the En Bloc Amendment increases funding for the Defense Health Programs research and development by $10 million. These funds will address the question of breast cancer in the United States military. The American Cancer Society calls several strains of breast cancer as a particularly aggressive subtype associated with lower survival rates. in this instance. its a triple negative. But I raise an article that says: "Fighting a Different Battle. Breast Cancer and the Military." We all know. by the way. that breast cancer can affect both men and women. The bad news is breast cancer has been just about as brutal on women in the military as combat. Let me say that sentence again. Breast cancer has been just about as brutal on women in the military as combat. More than 800 women have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. according to the Army Times. 874 military women were diagnosed with breast cancer just between 2000 and 2011. And according to that same study. more are suspected. It grows. The good news is that we have been working on it. and I want to add my appreciation to the military. Jackson Lee Amendment No. 67. however. will allow for the additional research. That research is particularly needed since women are joining the Armed Services in increasing numbers and serving longer. ascending to leadership. Within increased age comes increased risk and incidence of breast cancer. Not only is breast cancer striking relatively young military women at an alarming rate. but male service members. veterans and their dependents are at risk as well. With a younger and generally healthier population. those in the military tend to have a lower risk for most cancers than civiliansincluding significantly lower colorectal. lung and cervicalbut breast cancer is a different story. Military people in general. and in some cases very specifically. are at a significantly greater risk for contracting breast cancer. according to Dr. Richard Clapp. a top cancer expert at Boston University who works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on military breast cancer issues. Dr. Clapp notes that life in the military can mean exposure to a witchs brew of risk factors directly linked to greater chances of getting breast cancer. We are on the right track. were on the right road. I thank the Chair and Ranking Member for including the Jackson Lee Amendments Nos. 49 and 67 in the En Bloc Amendment and urge my colleagues to support the En Bloc Amendment.