Political Quotes

“I introduced the Prostate Testing Full Information Act in June of 1997 following a series of town hall meetings in my State of California. At these meetings, we brought together the top prostate cancer experts in the State, the head of the urology branch at the National Cancer Institute, and prostate cancer survivors. Participants at these meetings reached consensus that Congress needs to do much more to fight prostate cancer. I introduced my bill to mobilize Congress on this issue and to increase resources to help the thousands of men who suffer from prostate cancer. Last month, President Clinton announced the release of $60 million for prostate cancer research grants in a promising new Department of Defense program. This DoD research complements research at the National Institutes of Health. It is an essential component of the national effort to find effective treatment for prostate cancer. To institute this program at the $60 million level, the DoD had to combine two years of appropriations. Even then, the program was only able to fund 25 percent of the worthwhile research projects presented. Every meritorious grant that goes unfunded is a missed opportunity to find a cure. To ensure the strength of the DoD program, Congress should appropriate $80 million for fiscal year 1999.”