Help Grow Gulf War Illness Treatment Research

(91outcomes.com) - The treatment-focused Gulf War Illness research program expires at the end of this fiscal year.  The goal is to continue to grow this critically important treatment development research for the nearly one-third of Gulf War veterans debilitated by Gulf War Illness.

Contact your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives to sign onto "The Sablan-Bergman Dear Colleague to Support FY21 funding for DoD-CDMRP Gulf War Illness Treatment Research. **Deadline Extended**: 6 PM on Friday, March 13, 2020.

**Your quick phone call to your Rep. will help make the difference in Congress deciding to continue this critical program for one more year.  If not, it will expire at the end of this fiscal year.**

A parallel effort in the Senate, led by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, will also begin in the coming weeks. 

Find your Representative:  www.house.gov/representatives

The text of the "Dear Colleague" is below.

This FY21 request is supported by 25 veterans service and advocacy organizations, including: 

Association of the United States Navy, Blinded Veterans Association, Burn Pits 360, Cease Fire Campaign, DAV (Disabled American Veterans), Fleet Reserve Association, High Ground Veterans Advocacy, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Veterans Legal Services Program, National Vietnam & Gulf War Veterans Coalition, Non Commissioned Officers Association, ROA, Sergeant Sullivan Circle, Swords to Plowshares, The Quinism Foundation, TREA: The Enlisted Association, United Soldiers and Sailors of America - USASOA, Veteran Warriors, Veterans and Military Families for Progress, Veterans for Common Sense, Veterans of Foreign Wars, VetsFirst, Vietnam Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project

Current cosigners include, as of 12:55 PM (ET), March 12, 2020:  

	Last Name	First Name	District
1	Sablan	Gregorio Kilili Camacho	MP-00
2	Bergman	Jack	MI-01
3	Moore	Gwen	WI-04
4	Payne, Jr.	Donald M.	NJ-10
5	Hayes	Jahana	CT-5
6	Cicilline	David N.	RI-01
7	DeSaulnier	Mark	CA-11
8	Bost	Mike	IL-12
9	Beatty	Joyce	OH-03
10	Hastings	Alcee L.	FL-20
11	Welch	Peter	VT-AL
12	González-Colón	Jenniffer	PR-AL
13	Carson	André	IN-07
14	Panetta	Jimmy	CA-20
15	Larsen	Rick	WA-02
16	Plaskett	Stacey E.	USVI-AL
17	Kind	Ron	WI-03
18	Tipton	Scott R.	CO-03
19	Sánchez	Linda T.	CA-38
20	Veasey	Marc	TX-33
21	Vela	Filemon	TX-34
22	DeLauro	Rosa L.	CT-03
23	DeFazio	Peter A.	OR-04
24	Schakowsky	Jan	IL-09
25	Sires	Albio	NJ-08
26	Pingree	Chellie	ME-01
27	Rush	Bobby L.	IL-01
28	Horsford	Steven	NV-04
29	Johnson	Bill	OH-06
30	Davis	Danny K.	IL-07
31	Lynch	Stephen F.	MA-08
32	Radewagen	Aumua Amata C.	AS-00
33	Pappas	Chris	NH-01
34	Rice	Kathleen M.	NY-04
35	Casten	Sean	IL-06
36	Raskin	Jamie	MD-08
37	Grijalva	Raúl M.	AZ-03
38	Cárdenas	Tony	CA-29
39	Loebsack	Dave	IA-02
40	Lowenthal	Alan S.	CA-47
41	Delgado	Antonio	NY-19
42	Brownley	Julia	CA-26
43	Kuster	Ann McLane	NH-02
44	Speier	Jackie	CA-14
45	Suozzi	Thomas R.	NY-03
46	McGovern	James P.	MA-02
47	Roe, M.D.	David P.	TN-01
48	Davis	Susan A	CA-53
49	Omar	Ilhan	MN-05
50	Perlmutter	Ed	CO-07
51	Takano	Mark	CA-41
52	Ruiz, M.D.	Raul	CA-36
53	Yoho, DVM	Ted S.	FL-03
54	Gosar, D.D.S.	Paul A.	AZ-04
55	Shalala	Donna E.	FL-27
56	Axne	Cynthia	IA-03
57	Costa	Jim	CA-16
58	Lee	Susie	NV-03
59	Lee	Barbara	CA-13
60	Larson	John B.	CT-01
61	Keating	William R.	MA-09
62	Norton	Eleanor Holmes	DC-AL
63	Escobar	Veronica	TX-16
64	King	Peter	NY-02
65	Yarmuth	John	KY-03
66	Chu	Judy	CA-27
67	Brindisi	Anthony	NY-22
68	Soto	Darren	FL-09
69	Lamborn	Doug	CO-05
70	Lipinski	Daniel W.	IL-03
71	Dingell	Debbie	MI-12
72	DeGette	Diana	CO-01
73	García	Jesús G. “Chuy”	IL-04
74	Jackson Lee	Sheila	TX-18
75	Eshoo	Anna G.	CA-18
76	Bustos	Cheri	IL-17
77	Bilirakis	Gus M.	FL-12
78	Craig	Angie	MN-02
79	Richmond	Cedric L.	LA-02
80	Correa	J. Luis	CA-46
81	Peters	Scott	CA-52
82	Cisneros, Jr.	Gilbert R.	CA-39
83	Sewell	Terri A.	AL-07
84	Kim	Andy	NJ-03
85	Tlaib	Rashida	MI-13
86	Rouda	Harley	CA-48
87	Allred	Colin Z.	TX-32
88	Rodgers	Cathy McMorris	WA-05
89	Gabbard	Tulsi	HI-02
90	Espaillat	Adriano	NY-13
91	Luria	Elaine G.	VA-02
92	Johnson	Eddie Bernice	TX-30
93	Jayapal	Pramila	WA-07
94	Doggett	Lloyd	TX-35
95	Peterson	Collin C.	MN-07
96	Marshall, M.D.	Roger	KS-01
97	Scanlon	Mary Gay	PA-05
98	Gallego	Ruben	AZ-07
99	Kelly	Trent	MS-01
100	Katko	John	NY-24
101	Johnson, Jr.	Henry C. "Hank"	GA-04
102	Slotkin	Elissa	MI-08
103	Meeks	Gregory W.	NY-05
104	Davids	Sharice L.	KS-03
105	Crow	Jason	CO-06
106	Krishnamoorthi	Raja	IL-08
107	Brown	Anthony G.	MD-04
108	Sherrill	Mikie	NJ-11

109

Lisa

Blunt Rochester

DE-AL

====================================

Support FY21 funding for DoD-CDMRP Gulf War Illness Treatment Research
	Sending Office: Honorable Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan Sent By: Frances.Diaz
		Request for Signature(s)
Deadline to sign on is Tuesday, March 10, 2020 Dear Colleague: We invite you to join us in sending a letter to the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee urging continued support in FY 2021 for the treatment-focused Gulf War Illness Research Program within the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The Gulf War Illness Research Program is a unique federal program with an unprecedented vision to achieve the “improved health and lives of Veterans who have Gulf War Illness.” The GWIRP continues to succeed in efforts to “fund innovative Gulf War Illness (GWI) research to identify effective treatment and accelerate their clinical application, improve definition and diagnosis, and better understand pathobiology and symptoms.” The GWIRP continues to demonstrate effectiveness in its mission to improve the health and lives of  Veterans debilitated and suffering from Gulf War Illness. We need to ensure these efforts continue for these Veterans as well as for current and future U.S. forces at risk of similar exposures and outcomes. By congressional design, the Congressionally-directed Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) is a unique medical research program narrowly focused on identifying treatments and diagnostic markers for Gulf War Illness (GWI).1 The most recent report of the Congressionally-mandated Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses (RAC) recommended maintaining funding for this effective treatment-oriented program. The FY 2020 GWIRP request was supported by 97 offices, including current House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Dr. Roe. The FY2020 GWIRP request was supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Veterans for Common Sense, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Blinded Veterans Association (BV A), The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), National Gulf War Resource Center, Burn Pits 360, Sgt. Sullivan Circle, National Vietnam & Gulf War Veterans Coalition. The deadline to sign on is Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Please contact Frances Diaz at frances.diaz@, in Rep. Sablan’s office or Remy Fortin at remy.fortin@, in Rep. Bergman’s office for more information or to sign this letter. Sincerely, GREGORIO SABLAN                    JACK BERGMAN Member of Congress                     Member of Congress ======================================================================================================= March 17, 2020 The Honorable Pete Visclosky Chairman Subcommittee on Defense Committee on Appropriations H-405, The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Ken Calvert Ranking Member Subcommittee on Defense Committee on Appropriations 1016 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Visclosky and Ranking Member Calvert: As your Subcommittee begins work on the Fiscal Year 2021 Defense Appropriations Bill, we respectfully request adequate funding for the Gulf War Illness Research Program (GWIRP) within the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). We also thank you for providing the program $22 million in FY 2020. By congressional design, the GWIRP is a unique medical research program narrowly focused on improving the health and lives of Veterans with Gulf War Illness. Reports by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and government committees have shown that: 1) Gulf War Illness (“GWI”), likely caused by toxic exposures, affects up to one-third of the nearly 700,000 Veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War; and 2) GWI’s debilitating symptoms typically include "some combination of widespread pain, headache, persistent problems with memory and thinking, fatigue, breathing problems, stomach and intestinal symptoms, and skin abnormalities."[1] The GWIRP is narrowly focused on unraveling GWI’s underlying pathobiology, improving its definition and diagnosis, and developing treatments. While two-thirds of GWIRP-funded studies are still in progress, the growing body of results published in peer-reviewed scientific journals demonstrates steady advances toward the GWIRP’s goals. GWIRP-funded pilot studies shown as promising are now progressing to larger-scale clinical trials. These successes are the direct result of clear, treatment-focused congressional direction, stable appropriations, and effective management. Key recent GWIRP-funded results include: · The first direct evidence of neuroinflammation in Veterans with GWI,[2] a treatable target. · Significantly different gut microbiome patterns in GWI, including greater plasma levels of an inflammatory cytokine and associated with significantly more reported GW chemical weapons exposure and GWI symptoms.[3] · A 25 percent reduction in key GWI symptoms by treating GWI with KPAX002, a proprietary combination designed to support mitochondrial function.[4] Recognizing the GWIRP’s progress, the recommendations in the last Research Advisory Committee report remain instructive: "Congress should maintain its funding to support the effective treatment-oriented [GWIRP].”[5] The discoveries through the GWIRP continue to represent encouraging steps toward achieving the treatment goals articulated by the NAS: “to speed the development of effective treatments, cures, and, it is hoped, preventions" for current and future U.S. forces at risk of similar exposures and outcomes.  Indeed, the GWIRP has served as a model of how to conduct treatment-oriented research to address a challenging illness and is succeeding where earlier programs failed. Its two-tier peer-reviewed and highly competitive process ensures the independence and value of the results produced. Unlike the VA’s research program, which only funds VA researchers, the GWIRP seeks out and funds the best research by any combination of government, academic, or private-sector researchers and research teams. We respectfully request you provide the necessary resources in the FY21 Defense Appropriations Bill to continue this vital and effective program and to support its progress into more advanced, larger-scale clinical trials – a well-justified, added cost indicative of the GWIRP’s steady progress. It remains critical to the program's success and accountability that the GWIRP is retained as a stand-alone program within the CDMRP and not be combined as a topic area within broader, less-targeted research programs. Thank you for your consideration of our request, which is supported by the Association of the United States Navy, Fleet Reserve Association, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Non Commissioned Officers Association, Sergeant Sullivan Circle, TREA: The Enlisted Association, Veterans for Common Sense. Sincerely, GREGORIO SABLAN          JACK BERGMAN Member of Congress           Member of Congress [1] National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, “Gulf War and Health, Volume 8: Update of Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War,” 2010; Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans: Research Update and Recommendations, 2009-2013,” 2014. [2] Zeynab A, Albrecht DS, Bergan C, Akeju O, Clauw DJ, Conby L, Edwards RR, Kim M, Lee YC, Protsenko E, Napadow V, Sullivan K, Loggia ML. (February 2020). In-vivo imaging of neuroinflammation in veterans with Gulf War illness. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.01.020 [3] Janulewicz, Patricia A.; Seth, Ratanesh K.; Carlson, Jeffrey M.; Ajama, Joy; Quinn, Emily; Heeren, Timothy; Klimas, Nancy; Lasley, Steven M.; Horner, Ronnie D.; Sullivan, Kimberly; Chatterjee, Saurabh. (2019). "The Gut-Microbiome in Gulf War Veterans: A Preliminary Report." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 16, no. 19: 3751. http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193751. See also: “GWIRP-funded project expands exciting gut biome finding for Gulf War Illness” [4] Holodniy M, Kaiser JD. (November 2019). Treatment for Gulf War Illness (GWI) with KPAX002 (methylphenidate hydrochloride + GWI nutrient formula) in subjects meeting the Kansas case definition: A prospective, open-label trial. J. of Psych. Rsch., 118: 14-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.08.003 . See also: “A Prospective Open-Label Clinical Trial of Methylphenidate plus a GWI-Specific Nutrient Formula in Patients with Gulf War Illness and Concentration Disturbances”. [5] Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans: Research Update and Recommendations, 2009-2013,” 2014.