ICYMI – On TODAY: Shaheen Responds to New Report on Brain Injuries Experienced by American Public Servants & Their Families, Calls for Action to Prevent Future Attacks

**Transfer of report follows bipartisan call from Shaheen and a group of Senators requesting the National Academy of Sciences’ study be released to Congress**

**Shaheen has stood by these government employees and their families, spearheading legislative efforts to provide them benefits**

**The final defense bill released last week includes language added by Shaheen to expand long-term, emergency care benefits she secured in previous legislation to all U.S. Government employees and their dependents**

(Washington, DC)— On this morning’s TODAY Show, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) – a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees – responded to the findings of a new report released by the National Academy of Sciences that examines brain injuries experienced by federal employees and their families while serving in China and Cuba. The report was transferred to Congress following bipartisan calls led by Shaheen. Patients and public reports have indicated that these injuries are the result of a nefarious attack.

Speaking with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Shaheen underscored the urgent need to take action to address these attacks that have targeted American public servants and their families, stating, “I fear that what we have seen to date is not going to end. We are going to see more of these kinds of attacks in the future and we need to be prepared for them.” On Saturday, Shaheen called for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to address what is being done to uncover the source of the attacks and to protect American public servants.

Senator Shaheen has stood by government employees and their families who’ve suffered from these mysterious injuries, and leads efforts in Congress to provide them critical health benefits. In the final fiscal year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act released last week, Shaheen successfully included language to expand a provision in law that she wrote last year to provide long-term, emergency care benefits to all U.S. Government employees and their dependents who were mysteriously injured while working in China and Cuba. Shaheen’s measure to amend the law follows her letter with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) in May, calling on the administration to interpret the law as intended by Congress. Senator Rubio partnered with her on this effort. The New York Times and GQ recently detailed reports of these mysterious injuries and described them as the result of an attack. The Washington Post Editorial Board also voiced its support for Shaheen’s efforts. 

Andrea Mitchell’s full report can be viewed here.