Aces Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 530, the ACES Act, as amended, a bill that would task the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine with studying the frequency and mortality of cancer among individuals who served as air crew in the Armed Forces.

I can't help but think of some of the giants of aviation our country has had: Admiral James Stockdale, Chuck Yeager, John McCain, the groundbreaking Women Airforce Service Pilots or WASPs of World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen, astronauts, including the crew of Apollo 11. As a nation, we have been lucky that people of this caliber have stepped up and stepped into the cockpit.

Mr. Speaker, these veterans are some of the best our Nation has to offer. They are expertly trained to maintain, fly, and fight in their airframes. Aviators get the mission done, and they get it done no matter what. They do it under pressure, under fire, and under hostile conditions in the wind and the rain. They sometimes even land on a boat in the middle of the ocean in the dead of night with no lights. For 365 days a year, they are out there, keeping us safe. Military aviators do it all, and they do it better than anyone else.

Unfortunately, there is a concerning trend among veteran aviators and aircrews. They are seeing troubling rates of cancer. Initial studies have shown increased rates of melanoma and pancreatic, prostate, brain, and thyroid cancers. The aircrew community also shows alarming diagnoses of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

We have both a legal and moral obligation to take care of our veterans. Unfortunately, these veteran aviators are not getting the recognition they need and deserve from the VA. Often, these folks are forced to use their network of fellow veterans to share tips and tricks to get their care. They move through this new medical world with the gut feeling that they all could not be ill without their military occupation playing some role. This is unacceptable.

We need data to help bridge the gap between anecdote and evidence for aviator cancers so pilots and aircrews can get the care and the benefits they deserve.

That is what this bill hopes to achieve, and I strongly support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for bringing the bill and for his service, and I encourage all of my colleagues to get behind this effort. While this is one affected community, we cannot forget the countless other veterans and families also fighting for their toxic exposures to be seen and addressed.

I am thinking especially about my constituents who were stationed at Camp Lejeune or the intercontinental ballistic missile, ICBM, community, who suffer from cancer rates above nationwide averages; those who were exposed to radiation while working at the Nevada Test and Training Range; and veterans exposed to fuels in their water and molds in their walls while they lived in on-base housing during their service.

These are all veterans who continue to carry hidden wounds from service that often don't show up until years after they take off the uniform.

As we learn of these communities with toxic exposure and illness beyond the battle, we need to make sure that we have adequate systems in place to take care of them. This means a fully staffed and funded Department of Veterans Affairs. This means mental health professionals are in place to assist these veterans through traumatic and life- changing diagnoses. This means updated infrastructure in place to care for these veterans. For those who succumb to their diagnoses, this means a fully functioning VA to provide end-of-life care with dignity and compassion. Lastly, it means a VA to deliver for those survivors left behind, those who carry on through the pain and grief.

Mr. Speaker, I thank all of those who have worked tirelessly to bring this issue to the attention of Congress. The ACES Act is definitely a step in the right direction. It is not a fix-all, but it will give affected veterans a fighting chance. In the near future, I hope we can do the same for so many other worthwhile populations, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I ask my colleagues to do the same.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. McGARVEY. Mr. Speaker,

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Pfluger for bringing this bill to the floor, for his service to our country before coming to Congress, and for acting on behalf of all of our aviators who have taken off the uniform and are now fighting a different battle.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is important for everyone who has ever climbed into or out of a cockpit in our United States military to keep us free. It will benefit every veteran. I am excited for the veterans in Louisville, Kentucky, where we have a lot of former aviators as the home of UPS' world hub. This will help everyone, including those people in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill that is not only happening quickly but, I will also note, is happening with bipartisan support. I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source