Section 756 of the bill halts funding for medical research programs unless the Secretary funding the program determines that the program directly impacts service members, despite these research programs having a broader impact, such as the well-being of military families. Furthermore, Section 898 of the Senate’s NDAA would place unnecessary acquisition compliance and additional auditing requirements on the medical research programs.
The letter urges Senate Armed Services Committee leadership to support amendments that are expected to be offered during Senate floor consideration that would remove language from the FY 2017 NDAA that would “prohibit medical research at the Department of Defense (DoD) unless such research meets certain narrowly defined criteria related to military relevance.”
The community letter highlights how “medical research programs at the DoD directly impact the health and lives of the U.S. military, including combat veterans and their families.” The letter adds that medical research programs at the DoD “have led to breakthroughs on nerve regeneration, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
The Senate is expected to debate the FY 2017 NDAA when it returns from recess.