Agencies May Lose Oversight of War Illnesses

A congressional panel says the investigation into Gulf War illnesses by the Defense Department and Department of Veterans Affairs was handled so poorly that it will recommend they be stripped of their authority over the matter, a newspaper reports.

The House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight says Congress should create or designate an independent agency to coordinate research into the cause of the illnesses, the New York Times reports in today’s editions.

The House report, expected to be made public this week, also concludes that “a variety of toxic agents in the Gulf War,” including Iraqi chemical weapons, probably caused the health problems reported by thousands of veterans.

A spokesman for the Pentagon said the agency would withhold comment until it gets the report.

The report, expected to receive bipartisan support, is to be released several days ahead of another study.

In a draft of that study, the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses found the Pentagon had “an institutional culture and pervasive inclination” to ignore evidence suggesting that American soldiers may have been exposed to Iraqi chemical weapons, the paper says.