The U.S. Congress passed a defense appropriations bill that includes almost $10 million in investments that Congressman Kathy Castor secured for the Tampa Bay area, including for the University of South Florida and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute. The investments will improve the health and well-being of our troops while supporting good-paying jobs in the health care and research sectors.

Castor secured almost $1.8 million for a crucial research initiative at the University of South Florida. Researchers are focusing on developing new treatments for patients suffering from traumatic brain injuries and improving their quality of life.

“Our brave men and women in uniform and their families are working so hard to keep our country safe. Through the years, I have visited with brave veterans at Haley VA who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries,” Castor said. “We need to continue to support them, and Moffitt and USF, two major economic engines in our community, have the tools to do that.”

Castor also secured $6 million for the National Functional Genomics Center at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. The genomics center works to find ways to detect and treat cancer in its earliest stages and to develop new drug therapies and diagnostic tests. This Department of Defense initiative is especially important in Florida because the state has one of the highest incidences of cancer in the country, and to our troops because they are unfortunately hard hit by cancer. One study has identified more than 400,000 cases of cancer in the Department of Defense.

“Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in our country, and investing in this cutting-edge research at Moffitt is very important for our community,” Castor said. “Our men and women in uniform and our families are depending on initiatives such as this to treat this disease.”

Castor is also pleased to announce that the Defense Appropriations bill includes $800,000 for University Community Hospital’s effort to study coronary artery disease in military personnel. Castor pushed for this funding because this work promises to improve the health care of our troops and civilians.

Also included in the bill is $800,000 for the MacDill Air Force Base Online Training initiative.

During her first term, Castor served on the House Armed Services Committee. She remains deeply committed to MacDill Air Force Base, which is in her district.