CORREA, BERGMAN STRESS IMPORTANCE OF FUNDING VA MEDICAL RESEARCH

Correa successfully included amendment into the Military Construction VA FY27 funding bill

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Appropriations Act, 2027 (H.R. 8469), which included an amendment introduced by U.S. Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and General Jack Bergman (MI-01) highlighting the importance of funding medical research at the Department of Veteran Affairs. H.R. 8469 would cut $45 million from the annual VA's medical research funding, potentially impacting research into psychedelic therapy-which both Representatives Correa and General Bergman have championed.

"This amendment is about taking care of those brave Americans who answered the call of duty to defend our country and returned from combat with invisible wounds that have still not healed. On a daily basis, PTSD drives 20 to 40 veterans to take their own lives. Psychedelic therapies have shown tremendous success in helping veterans recover from PTSD and other mental health struggles, essentially curing them. We need to study this therapy so veterans can have the best medical resources available," said Rep. Correa. "I am asking my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me and Congressman General Jack Bergman in supporting the treatment of veterans' battleground wounds and restoring funding for medical research for our nation's heroes."

The Military Construction VA FY27 funding bill allocates $45 million less than current levels to the Medical Research and Prosthetics account, while President Donald Trump requested $22 million more for this area in his annual budget proposal. On April 19th, President Trump just signed an executive order to increase research into psychedelic-assisted therapy that called for $50 million in federal funding for ibogaine research.

The Medical Research and Prosthetics account is where psychedelic-therapy studies are funded-as well as research on cancer, treatments for traumatic brain injury, prosthetics, and other areas of medical innovation. VA research has led to some of the most innovative health care discoveries like the pacemaker, first successful liver transplant, and the nicotine patch.

This vote comes a day after Rep. Correa sponsored the Veterans Research Symposium, an event hosted by the National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations (NAVREF) and Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research that highlighted cutting-edge research benefiting veterans and the American public while also identifying policy, regulatory, and operational barriers that slow down innovation.

"NAVREF commends Representatives Lou Correa and Jack Bergman on championing the restoration of funding for VA Medical and Prosthetics Research. Their leadership sends a powerful message: That America must continue investing in the scientists, clinicians, and discoveries that honor veterans not just with words, but with action. We urge other Members of Congress to move swiftly and support VA research as a national asset," said Rashi Romanoff, NAVREF CEO.

Rep. Correa co-founded the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus with Republican Rep. General Bergman to address ways to alleviate the national mental health crisis through psychedelic science and research, which currently has 12 members. Representatives Correa and Bergman also led efforts in Congress to promote psychedelic treatments for veterans suffering PTSD, through advocating for more research funding and eventual inclusion of approved psychedelic therapies into veterans' VA care options once it is approved by the FDA.

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