Cord Byrd: “Mr. President, we will not have one whit more protection with the passage of this 484 pages, not one whit protection…”

“Mr. President, we will not have one whit more protection with the passage of this 484 pages, not one whit protection more than we have now. The same people who will protect us at the borders, at the ports, at the airports and throughout the land at the ports of entry, the same people who will protect us then are out there now. They are there day and night protecting us. ... probably the most egregious provision inserted is a White House-backed provision designed to head off dozens of potential lawsuits against Eli Lilly and Company and other pharmaceutical giants that are being sued by parents who have linked their children's autism to those companies' childhood vaccines. The language would keep the lawsuits out of State courts, ruling out huge judgments and lengthy litigation and, instead, channel complaints to a Federal program set up to provide liability protection for vaccine manufacturers. The program, funded through a surcharge on vaccines, compensates persons injured by such vaccines to a maximum of $250,000.”