These 69 Republicans Voted Against Researching COVID's Effect on the Brain

Authored by newsweek.com and submitted by freddybobs68k
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Congress on Tuesday passed a bill for research on the cognitive effects of COVID-19, although 69 Republicans voted against it.

The Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act passed by 350-69. Eight Republicans and four Democrats abstained on the vote.

A two-thirds majority was needed to pass the bill, which was named after Brycen Gray, 17, and Ben Price, 48, who both died by suicide following mental health issues after they contracted COVID-19.

The legislation calls on the National Science Foundation to give grants to eligible institutions—such as universities and non-profits—to help them research "the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID-19 infections."

The bill says the grants will be awarded on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis.

The research to be funded includes studying the effects of the coronavirus on cognition, emotion, function and neural structure, as well as the influence COVID-related psychological and psychosocial factors have on cognition.

When tabling the bill in October, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) cited research in The Lancet Psychiatry that said roughly a third of COVID-19 patients received a neurological or psychiatric diagnosis in the six months after they tested positive for the virus.

The bill says that research is "urgently needed" to better understand why disruption in cognition regularly occurs as a consequence of COVID-19.

"Despite having no history of mental illness, each of them began to battle symptoms such as anxiety, panic and paranoia," Gonzalez said of Gray and Price.

"The disease took Brycen and Ben from two of the healthiest, most vibrant people you could find, to individuals so debilitated that they could not bear to live another day. While they fought to the bitter end, each chose to end their pain," Gonzalez said.

He said the bill would help scientists understand more about the impact COVID-19 has on the brain.

"If we believe in protecting our families, we need to act now and start finding answers to why COVID-19 can have such a significant impact on the brain. The legislation before us today is another important step in that effort," the Ohio Republican said.

Only Republicans voted against the bill.

The full list of Republicans who voted against the bill

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, texting "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or going to 988lifeline.org.

gfh110 on July 28th, 2022 at 18:22 UTC »

I've made this analogy before, but if the ozone hole panic of the 1980's happened today Republicans would be out in the streets en masse emptying cans of hairspray into the air and shrieking about "freedom."

RamblinGamblinFlan on July 28th, 2022 at 18:05 UTC »

I propose all members of congress take the blood test from The Thing

Lapaday on July 28th, 2022 at 17:57 UTC »

Repubs are the bottom half. These are the bottom of those.