Murkowski: “Those Susceptible to This Horrible Disease Need More”
Senator Continues to Advocate for Veterans, Americans Suffering from ALS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski today pushed the Department of Defense for answers on its research and progress in fighting ALS, or “Lou Gehrig’s” disease – reminding Pentagon leadership that the military and veteran population are two-times as likely to be affected with this devastating disease.
Senator Murkowski asked U.S. Army Surgeon General Patricia Horoho how Congress could help them research ALS, making the point that costs are going to rise as more military members are diagnosed with these neurological diseases and questioning “whether or not we should be doing more in terms of research or perhaps if there were ways to prioritize in other areas, and if we need to be doing more?”
(Senator Murkowski: “There is clearly more we can do” to fight ALS nationwide.)
General Horoho shared that 60% of service members are at risk of neurodegenerative disease but “We’re also venturing into an unprecedented consortium. We’ve got $62 million dollars that is going to the Department of Defense and the VA to actually look at neurodegenerative research.” She called this new focus “the right move in the direction of really honing in and studying this particular area.” General Horoho also acknowledged that she agrees with Senator Murkowski’s belief that more attention should be paid to Lou Gehrig’s disease, saying “there is a concerted effort moving into this area.”
Senator Murkowski finished saying that “we need to be doing more in this area and if it’s something that I can work with the Chairman and the Ranking Member on - count me in.”
