[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 107 (Wednesday, July 24, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2014

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                               speech of

                         HON. ELIZABETH H. ESTY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2397) making 
     appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal 
     year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes:

  Ms. ESTY. Madam Chair, my amendment would add five million dollars 
for support services for members of the National Guard and Reserve to 
the Defense-Wide Operations and Maintenance account in Title IX of the 
bill.
  To prevent an increase in spending, the funding for suicide 
prevention is offset by reducing the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund 
by thirty-eight million dollars. This amendment is not only fiscally 
responsible, but urgent and timely.
  The cover of Time Magazine from exactly one year ago today described 
the tragedy of military suicide with the simple headline: ``One a 
Day.'' It drew attention to the grim reality that military suicide 
rates were at record levels. By year's end, a record three-hundred-and-
fifty active duty troops committed suicide in 2012, amounting to almost 
one suicide per day. We lost more troops to suicide than we did to 
combat.
  One year later, these rates have barely budged. The Department of 
Defense reported one-hundred-and-sixty-one potential suicides among 
active-duty service members, reservists and National Guard members 
through April. This is a pace of one suicide every eighteen hours.
  We owe far better to those who wear the uniform and serve this 
nation.
  I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for their leadership on this 
issue. Your tireless, bipartisan commitment to suicide prevention is 
reflected in the additional twenty-million dollars for the Suicide 
Prevention Office provided in this bill.
  My amendment seeks only to bolster your efforts by strengthening 
outreach and awareness programs to combat stigma and improve access to 
resources. As the chairman has often reminded us, we should focus our 
efforts on prevention. This amendment gives our outreach and prevention 
programs greater support to assist service members in need. It is our 
job to serve our troops as well as they serve us. We cannot--we must 
not--wait; it's up to us to act.
  I urge Members to support this amendment.

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