WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is calling on the leaders of the Appropriations Committee to prioritize funding for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research in the FY2025 spending bill. In a letter to Defense Subcommittee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), the Senator led a bipartisan group of his colleagues to urge the Appropriations leadership to support the strongest possible funding for the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research program within the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDRMP).

During just three months in 2023, DoD provided treatment to service members nearly 50,000 times for traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which are considered the “signature wound” of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. For troops with mild TBI, “the most important cause of brain injury was the long-term exposure to explosive weapons.” Researchers in Afghanistan also determined that, “75 percent of the troops’ [blast] exposure was coming from their own weapons.” Despite this, service members continue to train with weapons with unsafe blast levels. 

The Senators wrote, “As you begin work on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations process, we write to respectfully request that you support the strongest possible funding for the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research program within the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDRMP). Since FY1992, the CDRMP has managed nearly $20 billion in appropriations for peer-reviewed research, focused on a wide variety of critical health issues. The program has a proven track record of contributing to medical breakthroughs.

“Many of our servicemembers—whether they experience combat or not—are frequently exposed to explosive weapons during training exercises and in the field. These weapons can produce damaging shockwaves—known as blast overpressure, where the pressure caused by the shockwave is above normal atmospheric pressure—and we need to better understand the potential physical, cognitive, and behavioral impacts that exposure to these shockwaves can have on servicemembers,” the Senators continued.

“Sadly, there have been too many examples of the tragedies that can occur as a result of untreated TBIs, and funding for programs like the TBIPHRP will help improve prevention, assessment, and treatment of these conditions,” the Senators concluded. “This program currently complements ongoing DoD efforts to promote better standards of care of TBIs and psychological health, and robust funding will further support better standards of care for psychological health and traumatic brain injury.”

Joining King on the letter are Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Corey Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and John Cornyn (R-TX).

Following the Lewiston shooting, Senators King and Collins have been working together to increase mental health funding and address traumatic brain injuries. Most recently, they introduced the Blast Overpressure Safety Act would direct the Department of Defense (DoD) to enact a range of measures to help mitigate and protect service members from blast overpressure. In March, the entire Maine Delegation announced that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (Maine DHHS) would receive $2,048,452 through the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Emergency Response Grant program (SERG). The funding is used for community mental health needs in the greater-Lewiston community, following the shooting that claimed the lives of 18 individuals and wounded 13 others. The delegation also sent a follow-up letter to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of the Army, Lieutenant General Donna W. Martin, to further press for a comprehensive review of the facts and events leading up to the October 25 mass shooting.

Senator King has also introduced legislation to save lives and protect 2^nd Amendment rights for all Maine people. The Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearm Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act addresses the lethal capacity weapons like the one used in Lewiston and most of the deadliest mass shootings across the country. More specifically, the bill protects communities from gun violence while safeguarding law-abiding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting and sporting purposes.

The full letter can be found here and below.

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Dear Chair Tester and Ranking Member Collins,

As you begin work on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 appropriations process, we write to respectfully request that you support the strongest possible funding for the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research program within the Department of Defense (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDRMP). Since FY1992, the CDRMP has managed nearly $20 billion in appropriations for peer-reviewed research, focused on a wide variety of critical health issues. The program has a proven track record of contributing to medical breakthroughs.

The peer-reviewed Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program (TBIPHRP) was established in FY2007 in response to the increase of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and psychological health issues experienced by our servicemembers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. TBIs have become known as the “signature wound” from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, effecting hundreds of thousands of servicemembers. Many of our servicemembers—whether they experience combat or not—are frequently exposed to explosive weapons during training exercises and in the field. These weapons can produce damaging shockwaves—known as blast overpressure, where the pressure caused by the shockwave is above normal atmospheric pressure—and we need to better understand the potential physical, cognitive, and behavioral impacts that exposure to these shockwaves can have on servicemembers. TBIs from exposure to weapons is a common yet misunderstood phenomenon; researchers in Afghanistan found that 75% of the troops’ exposure to blasts were coming from their own weapons. In just three months in 2023, DoD provided treatment to servicemembers nearly 50,000 times for TBI.

Sadly, there have been too many examples of the tragedies that can occur as a result of untreated TBIs, and funding for programs like the TBIPHRP will help improve prevention, assessment, and treatment of these conditions. This program currently complements ongoing DoD efforts to promote better standards of care of TBIs and psychological health, and robust funding will further support better standards of care for psychological health and traumatic brain injury.

Thank you for your consideration of this request to provide the strongest possible funding for the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. We appreciate your commitment to addressing TBIs and supporting our servicemembers and veterans and look forward to working with you on this important issue. 

Sincerely,

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