Press Releases
Pascrell Assails Trump Comments on Traumatic Brain InjuryLetter to Defense Department highlights insult to servicemembers
Paterson, NJ,
January 23, 2020
Tags:
Traumatic Brain Injury
– U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the co-chair and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, today responded to comments made by Donald Trump yesterday denigrating the impact of traumatic brain injury that likened brain injuries to mere “headaches.” Pascrell wrote a letter to the Department of Defense Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness and the Assistant Secretary of Defense Health Affairs asking for more information on the extent of U.S. servicemember injuries resulting from Iran’s attack of January 8, 2020 in Iraq and calling on the Pentagon to reiterate its commitment to the seriousness of brain injuries on the battlefield and elsewhere. “As the co-chair and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, the comments of the Commander-in-Chief are concerning and show a clear lack of understanding of the devastating impacts of brain injury,” Rep. Pascrell writes. “TBI is recognized as the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, 383,000 men and women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan sustained a brain injury while in the line of duty between 2000 and 2018.” This week while discussing the January 8, 2020 Iranian attack on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq, Donald Trump expressed that he does not consider brain injury and concussion to be a serious combat wound, downplaying brain injury symptoms to “headaches.” After the January 8 attack, 11 United States servicemembers were evacuated to Kuwait and Germany with evidence of concussion and traumatic brain injury. Effects of traumatic brain injury can be short-term or long-term, and include impaired thinking or memory, movement, vision or hearing, or emotional functioning, such as personality changes or depression. Currently, between 3.2 million and 5.3 million people, including civilians, veterans, and servicemembers, live with a TBI-related disability in the United States. “Brain injuries are serious and can often be life-altering. Working in concert with the Congress, the Department of Defense has been right to change its policies and make the investments treat concussions and traumatic brain injuries with the gravity warranted. We cannot and must not go backwards. It is critical that the Department of Defense strongly affirm its commitment to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and research regarding concussion and brain injury,” Pascrell’s letter concludes. For two decades, Rep. Pascrell has been a leader in advancing brain injury policy on Capitol Hill. He co-founded the Congressional Traumatic Brain Injury Task Force in 2001 and has served as task force co-chair since its inception. The Task Force works to increase awareness of brain injury in the United States, supports research initiatives for rehabilitation and potential cures, and strives to address the effects these injuries have on all Americans, including children, members of the Armed Forces, and athletes. Rep. Pascrell also champions funding for programs at the Department of Defense that go towards TBI research and treatment, such as the Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. January 23, 2020
Matthew P. Donovan Undersecretary of Defense Personnel and Readiness 4000 Defense Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301-4000
Thomas McCaffery Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs 7700 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101 Falls Church, VA 22042-5101
Dear Secretary Donovan and Secretary McCaffery:
This week while discussing the January 8, 2020 Iranian attack on Al-Asad airbase in Iraq, President Trump expressed that he does not consider brain injury and concussion to be a serious combat wound, downplaying brain injury symptoms to “headaches.” As you know, after the January 8 attack, 11 United States servicemembers were evacuated to Kuwait and Germany with evidence of concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Subsequently, additional servicemembers were transported to Germany for medical treatment and evaluation. As the co-chair and founder of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, the comments of the Commander-in-Chief are concerning and show a clear lack of understanding of the devastating impacts of brain injury.
According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, “Traumatic brain injury is a significant health issue which affects service members and veterans during times of both peace and war. The high rate of TBI and blast-related concussion events resulting from current combat operations directly impacts the health and safety of individual service members and subsequently the level of unit readiness and troop retention. The impacts of TBI are felt within each branch of the service and throughout both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs health care systems.”[i]
TBI is recognized as the signature injury of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, 383,000 men and women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan sustained a brain injury while in the line of duty between 2000 and 2018.[ii] Effects of traumatic brain injury can be short-term or long-term, and include impaired thinking or memory, movement, vision or hearing, or emotional functioning, such as personality changes or depression. Currently, between 3.2 million and 5.3 million people, including civilians, veterans, and servicemembers, live with a TBI-related disability in the United States.
The Department of Defense currently prioritizes concussion and blast injury through multiple avenues including the National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, the Blast Injury Research Coordinating Office, and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. The commitment to brain injury must remain a major priority for the Department of Defense on the battlefield and in training.
In light of Mr. Trump’s comments, I request responses to the questions below:
Brain injuries are serious and can often be life-altering. Working in concert with the Congress, the Department of Defense has been right to change its policies and make the investments treat concussions and traumatic brain injuries with the gravity warranted. We cannot and must not go backwards. It is critical that the Department of Defense strongly affirm its commitment to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and research regarding concussion and brain injury.
Sincerely,
Bill Pascrell, Jr. Member of Congress
[i] Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. (2020). TBI & the military. Retrieved from https://dvbic.dcoe.mil/tbi-military [ii] National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine. (2019). Evaluation of the disability determination process for traumatic brain injury in veterans. doi:10.17226/25317 Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25317/evaluation-of-the-disability-determination-process-for-traumatic-brain-injury-in-veterans [iii] Kime, P. (2019). New research may shed light on combat concussion-dementia link. Retrieved from https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/10/01/new-research-may-shed-light-on-combat-concussion-dementia-link/ |