July 27, 2023

CORREA, BERGMAN APPLAUD HOUSE-PASSAGE OF THEIR AMENDMENT PUSHING VA TO STUDY IMPACT OF PSYCHEDELICS ON VETERANS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and Jack Bergman (MI-01), co-chairs of the Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, announced that the House of Representatives passed their amendment, which was included in federal funding legislation passed today, to push the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out “large-scale studies” into drugs like psilocybin and MDMA—which have been designated as “breakthrough therapies” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Today, the House took an important step towards fulfilling our promise to our nation’s veterans—by passing our amendment pushing the VA to research the impact of breakthrough therapies, like psychedelics, on the invisible wounds of our country’s most valiant warriors in legislation to fund the federal government that also passed today,” Correa said. “The VA must do all it can to ensure that these potentially life-saving therapies are accessible as soon as possible, and by pushing the Department to research these therapies with this amendment, we’re making meaningful progress.”

“We can’t afford to play politics with Veterans’ lives. Today, the House of Representatives unanimously approved our amendment moving the VA closer to funding psychedelic assisted therapy studies. We are suffering from a mental health crisis in our Nation, and Veterans and servicemembers are right at the forefront of this struggle,” Bergman said. “This amendment will help steer the federal government towards providing better options to help our Veterans overcome their battles, and it represents an historic leap in federally-backed research on potential cures for PTSD. I look forward to continuing this push with my fellow PATH Caucus Co-Chair, Rep. Correa, to ensure our Veterans can utilize groundbreaking treatments that are safe, effective, and accessible.”

The Correa-Bergman Amendment amended the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. It encourages the VA to explore utilizing federal dollars to fund research into the impact of breakthrough therapies, including psychedelics, on veterans who return home from combat with invisible wounds. It passed by unanimous consent, and was included in the final text of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which passed out of the House this afternoon.

You can find the full text of the amendment HERE. 

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