[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ALS AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. CROW asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CROW. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the importance of ALS 
Awareness Month and continued Federal support of funding towards a cure 
for ALS.
  ALS a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in 
the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.
  This devastating disease can affect anyone, anywhere, at any age, 
and, still today, is always fatal.
  Veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS, which is why ALS has 
been designated a service-connected disease.
  Not only is there no cure for ALS, but there is also no effective 
treatment to halt or reverse the progression of the disease.
  Patients typically live 2 to 5 years after diagnosis.
  President Biden announced an initiative to leverage a $50 billion 
investment over the course of his presidency through a new HHS program, 
called ARPA-Health.
  This investment would bring focus, scale, and innovation to combat 
devastating diseases like ALS, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and cancer.
  Madam Speaker, the need is urgent, and I would encourage my 
colleagues to join me in supporting these investments. Our response 
must meet the moment.

                          ____________________