{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bergman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1340", "Bergman, Correa Secure Victory with Breakthrough Treatments for Veterans, Servicemembers", "2024-12-03", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "House", "MI", "Jack Bergman", "B001301", "bergman.house.gov", "bergman", "https://bergman.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will fund a $1.5 million study on MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and alcohol use disorder among Veterans. This announcement was made following an August 2nd letter from Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI), Representative Lou Correa (D-CA), and 58 other Members of Congress, in which the lawmakers urged the VA to address the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide epidemic among Veterans and Servicemembers. The Representatives had implored the Biden Administration to research and make available new and better treatment options like MDMA-assisted therapy for those Veterans and Servicemembers suffering from the invisible wounds of service.\n\nThe study, which will be conducted by VA researchers affiliated with Brown University and Yale University, will be the first VA-funded study for psychedelic-assisted therapy since the 1960s. This announcement came after more than two years of engagement and advocacy by Reps. Bergman and Correa, who co-founded the bipartisan Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus in 2022 to improve lawmakers\u2019 understanding of this rapidly evolving field of research and advocate for safe and efficacious treatments for Veterans suffering from PTSD.\n\nIn 2023, their amendment to the VA spending bill \u2013 which would direct VA to conduct a large-scale study into MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD \u2013 was approved unanimously on the House floor. This effort showed clear Congressional support for further VA research into psychedelics and opened the door for today\u2019s announcement.\n\n\u201cThis is a huge step in the right direction,\u201d Rep. Bergman stated. \u201cI applaud the VA for moving the ball forward in this fight to help those who so desperately need these breakthrough therapies. I\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again, if psychedelic-assisted therapy can help treat a Servicemember or Veteran\u2019s PTSD or prevent them from taking their own life, then we owe it to them to take an active role in researching these potentially life-saving therapies. I\u2019m grateful for Secretary McDonough\u2019s commitment to this cause and to our Nation\u2019s heroes.\u201d\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement from the VA is nothing short of monumental,\u201d Correa said. \u201cFor years, Rep. Bergman and I have been pushing the Department to research the impact of breakthrough therapies, like psychedelics, on the invisible wounds of our country\u2019s most valiant warriors. And just last year, the House passed our amendment to do so. That\u2019s real progress.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese therapies. like MDMA, promise to be one of the largest breakthroughs in mental health treatment in nearly half a century, and show potential to cure our veterans of their invisible wounds. I\u2019m so proud to be in this fight alongside General Bergman,\u201d Correa concluded. \"We won\u2019t rest until these potentially life-saving therapies are accessible to all who would benefit from them.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter from Secretary McDonough here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T22:13:55Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bergman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1340"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8052890188992023, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}