Political Quotes

“Our goal here is simple: We must, once and for all, treat children's hospitals the same as we do other teaching hospitals when it comes to funding physician training. This year, that means Congress must fully fund the Pediatric GME program as its authorized level of $285 million in fiscal year 2002. Two years ago, Congress finally recognized this need by passing legislation I sponsored with my friend, former Senator Kerrey of Nebraska, to authorize the children's hospitals GME initiative. Over the last couple of years, I have led the effort to fund this important initiative. Last year, Congress appropriated $235 million for the children's hospitals GME program--not quite enough for full parity with other teaching hospitals, but a good step forward. This year, we need to continue that momentum and finally treat all teaching hospitals equally. If it is important to train a doctor who treats adults, it's equally as important to train a doctor who treats children. We must make our policies reflect that important principle, and I am confident we can get there this year.”