Disability Law Claims Blog

Part II: The House Appropriations' Argument on DoD Spending

Return to page 1 of this blog post: Hearing to Focus on Troops Mental Health

House Appropriations:

When the Defense Department finished talking about their programs, the House argued that they "study things to death" and "take too long to put study options into reality." Here are some of the issues Lawmakers weighed in on: 

• Buy more helicopters to get wounded troops out of Afghanistan faster.  

Service members in Afghanistan are dying at higher rates from their injuries than service members in Iraq, and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House defense appropriations panel blamed it on a lack of transportation. "It's taking longer to get out of Afghanistan," he said. "I would assume it's because they can't evacuate them as quickly as they might."  

• Begin treating traumatic brain injuries immediately using hyperbaric oxygen chambers. 

Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., asked why the military is not yet using hyperbaric oxygen chambers to treat Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in the wake of a recent study of 16 people with TBI that showed all 16 improved. 

• Quit spending so much time studying options that never become reality.  

"It just takes so long," said Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash. "That's what's so frustrating."

What issues would you like to see the DoD focus on? Voice your opinion below. 

(Certain words, ideas, and quotes gathered from an article written by Kelly Kennedy of the Army Times on March 3, 2009, "Lawmakers want faster progress on TBI, PTSD.)