[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 145 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1698]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FUNDING FOR ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH

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                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 2, 2014

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my 
colleagues to appropriate an additional $200 million to the National 
Institutes of Health for research on Alzheimer's disease.
  More than five million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease. 
Today, someone develops Alzheimer's every 67 seconds and by 2050, it 
will be every 33 seconds.
  Alzheimer's is the most expensive disease in America. Unless action 
is taken, the cost of Alzheimer's will total $1.2 trillion in 2050, and 
Medicare and Medicaid spending on Alzheimer's will increase 500 
percent.
  My mother-in-law battled this disease, so I appreciate how 
devastating it can be to patients and their loved ones.
  The bipartisan National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) was passed by 
Congress unanimously.
  NAPA called for the creation of a National Alzheimer's Plan, which 
has resulted in some notable accomplishments. However, scientists and 
researchers must have the necessary funds to carry out the blueprint 
set forth in the Plan.
  Congress provided an additional $100 million in Alzheimer's research 
for fiscal year 2014, yet we continue to underinvest.
  To address a disease of this magnitude, we must further our 
commitment by increasing funding for Alzheimer's research by $200 
million in fiscal year 2015.

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