Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Alzheimer's disease is a threat to our country--not a direct threat like ISIS or al Qaeda, but it is an insidious, persistent threat to the minds and bodies of our family members and to the fiscal health of our country.

The Alzheimer's Association estimates that the cost of caring for people with Alzheimer's right now through the Medicare system is $226 billion. By the year 2050, it will be $1.1 trillion. This is a genuine budgetary threat. If it grows unchecked, the cost to Medicare from a single disease will zap our ability to pay for national security. Interestingly enough and timely enough, on the front page of USA Today is a story that reads how 15 percent of seniors account for nearly one-half of Medicare spending.

We also have an epidemic among our soldiers. It is called traumatic brain injury, known as the signature wound of veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq. It affects our soldiers at a much higher rate than the civilian population, and the VA projects its 10-year costs at $2.2 billion.

TBI is also closely linked to Alzheimer's. For 30 years, we have known about a clear correlation between TBI and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. By researching the link between TBI and Alzheimer's, we can help cure both.

I applaud the chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Defense of the Committee on Appropriations for increasing the funding for the Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Research Program from $12 million to its presequestration levels of $15 million, but the funding for Alzheimer's research in the United States is still underresourced.

Today, I am offering this amendment to increase the funding for the Peer Reviewed Program by $5 million, which would take it up to $20 million. This modest investment on the front end in research can eventually yield billions in savings in the future on the cost of care. That is why I urge my colleagues to support our servicemembers with TBI and Alzheimer's and vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the Members on both sides of the aisle.

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