Chuck Grassley: “I wish to explain to my colleagues why I will vote against S. 5 in its present form, and I believe it will probably be…”

“I wish to explain to my colleagues why I will vote against S. 5 in its present form, and I believe it will probably be in its present form as we vote on it. We in Congress are petitioned every day by individuals, by families, by companies, by interest groups, and other entities that have a stake in what the Federal Government does. We were elected to this great body to represent people back home, and to provide reasonable solutions to everyday problems that we confront here in the Congress. I meet people in Iowa every week who seek cures for different diseases and different disorders. They seek results, and we fight to provide them results so that life is better, life expectancy is longer. Americans want Congress to fund medical research, and we do it in a big way. That is why we provided nearly $30 billion annually for the National Institutes of Health, which is the leading organization on health-related research. We all know and love someone who has suffered from a devastating disease or disorder. My wife is a breast cancer survivor; my brother died of a stroke; my sister died of an aortic aneurysm. I have friends with diabetes, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's disease. I have known many who have lost a battle to cancer, and others who face a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. I want cures as well as everybody else wanting cures. I want to believe that the pain and suffering will end as much as anyone wants it to end.”