Blog Posts

It seems like spring has finally returned to Maine, and along with melting snow comes the return of tick season. 

In Washington though, spring means something else: the beginning of the budget process. I’ve been using my position on the Appropriations Committee to raise awareness about the impact that Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are having in the First District, and the urgency of devoting more resources to research and prevention efforts. During Committee Hearings I expressed my concerns about the accuracy of existing FDA-approved tests for Lyme, and also pressed the USDA to direct more funding toward pest management research that has the potential to prevent the transmission of tick-borne disease.

I also weighed in with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to ask that they create a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to address the threat that tick-borne diseases pose to our service members at home and abroad, and that they include language in the Health and Human Services spending bill that would encourage the CDC to improve its process for surveillance, reporting, and diagnosis of Lyme Disease. 

Here are videos of my recent committee testimony.