Henry Waxman

The can-do Nation that sent a man to the moon in under 10 years just can't do it when it comes to cleaning up air pollution using commercially available technologies that already are on the shelf today.

The benefits to mercury were not calculated. The benefits to particulate matter so outweighed the costs that it wasn't worth the effort, frankly.

Both the boiler and cement bills would indefinitely delay important public health protections and would create minimum delays lasting at least 3 years for the boiler standards and almost 5 years for the cement standards.

These bills do not simply give EPA more time to finalize more rules. Rather, they would prohibit EPA from finalizing replacement rules prior to at least as early as March 2013 at best.

History has shown repeatedly that we can clean up pollution, create jobs and grow our economy.

The Administration has major concerns with these two bills. They are a clear attempt to roll back public health protections.

I would like to see some of those figures scrutinized carefully.

I am pleased at this time to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).

I am pleased at this time to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

In my view, surge capacity, the ability of our healthcare system to respond to mass casualty emergencies and biosurveillance deserve special attention.

I am pleased that we have once again come together on a bipartisan basis to move forward with these bills.

These programs are critically important to help ensure that our Nation is well prepared to successfully manage the effects of natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks, and acts of bioterrorism.

Well, we hope so too, and I hope this hearing will lead to a very constructive approach by a Congress that has not very well performed so far this year.

I think this is shortsighted to make these kind of budget cuts.

Well, if the Republican budget as proposed passes, it would provide a 10 percent cut over $200 million in the FDA budgets.

A strong and well-functioning FDA requiring industry to comply with robust statutory standards for clearance.

We believe that any steps necessary to address the situation can be taken without changing the current robust statutory standards for clearance and approval of medical devices.

The medical technology industry has long recognized that a strong and well-functioning FDA is vital to maintaining America's preeminence in the medical technology innovation.

In order to do that, they need resources.

It is pretty irrational because there is a different standard for drugs and devices.

I don't think devices are something that we shouldn't take seriously as we do drugs. They both must meet a safety and efficacy standard.

I think a lot of the problem is that either the FDA does not have the resources or there are problems at FDA in processing what is going on or there are problems with the developers.

This is an issue that can and should be bipartisan.

In order to have a flourishing and innovative American device industry that puts safe and effective devices on the market, we need to have a strong and well-resourced FDA.

We need to ask why unsafe devices have gotten onto the market and harmed so many patients.