Candidly, a budget resolution is only Confederate money, it doesn't really count until there is an allocation.

I'm looking forward to the day when either Senator Harkin or I will be chairman of appropriations. I have a preference.

The work of this subcommittee is well known, and our vigorous advocacy for NIH.

the allocation for autism is substantially less than the allocation for other major research activities

We will provide the kinds of resources you need to the maximum extent of our capabilities, which is now more limited than it used to be.

The budget resolution does contain an increase this year of $1.3 billion and Senator Harkin and I added an amendment to increase the budget resolution for $2.2 billion more.

Do we have to be in the middle of the pandemic before the rules are issued?

I regret that I have to excuse myself. We are very heavily engaged right now with the U.S. Attorneys.

What should be the governmental response, either through the Veterans Administration of the Department of Defense?

There is a willingness to spend money for incarceration.

I share the concern about the budget. I know we live in an era of severe budget constraints.

I am interested in how we get my colleagues to spend money for corrections.

Well, we will continue to work with you, Madam Secretary. We have been for a long time. These are big, big problems. We want to do our best to try to solve them.

If the pie were a little bigger, we would be able to give more to your requests.

We have to be candid about it. The budget resolution is confederate money. Until it gets into an appropriation it doesn't count.

the funding for autism has risen, as I noted, from $27 million in 1998, to a projected budget in 2008 of $107,870,000

The administration has come forward with a cut this year, again. The proposal is to cut NIH by $327 million.

I'd like to see it get a little more attention.