Date: 2014-06-18
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

I thank the ranking member very much. I would like to conclude. but I thank you for this support and make this statement as I conclude. 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. and 874 military women were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2011. According to that same study. more are expected as it goes. So. in conclusion. let me thank the chairman and the ranking member for their focus on this amendment. I will conclude by saying that breast cancer is striking relatively young military women at an alarming rate. but male servicemembers. veterans. and their dependents. are at risk. as well. So I ask my colleagues to support this amendment. Again. those of us who are survivors recognize that the more research and the more intervention. the more lives we can save. With that. I ask the committee to support the Jackson Lee amendment. and I thank the ranking member and chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. 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. thank you for the opportunity to explain my amendment. which is identical to an amendment that I offered and was adopted in last years Defense Appropriations Act . My amendment increases funding for the Defense Health Programs research and development by $5 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. The Jackson Lee Amendment. 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. With 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. accrording 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. So. I am asking that we do the right thing. We are on the right track. were on the right road. But with the expansion of women in the military. I can assure you. for long life. a vital service that these men and women give. it is extremely important to move forward with this amendment. Researchers point to a high use of oral contraception thats linked to breast cancer among women that would ensure that this particular amendment would be a positive step forward. I urge my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee Amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas .