Henry Waxman: “I want to point out the existing law was proposed by President Bush and was enacted with broad bipartisan support. We…”

“I want to point out the existing law was proposed by President Bush and was enacted with broad bipartisan support. We have got to have the people who have the knowledge and expertise to be on these advisory committees. If the Burton amendment is agreed to, those people will not be serving, and that will be a disservice to the children of this country that want to be sure, for parents, that the vaccines have been reviewed by those who can give us the best information. The conflicts of interest that the gentleman from Indiana referred to, and I sat through those hearings as well, were quite remote, had nothing to do with the vaccine approval. In some cases they involved people who because of their knowledge and expertise in this area had worked for pharmaceutical companies because they were the best experts in the country to advise on these vaccines. I would hope that Members will oppose the Burton amendment and not disregard a law that is so important for the best experts in virology, biology, statistics, pediatrics, and other scientific disciplines to serve as volunteers in the public interest.”