Tom Harkin

We cannot let the Supreme Court's wrong-headed decision stand in the way of the financial security of American families.

Our system of checks and balances, quite correctly, always gives Congress this prerogative.

The legislation I have introduced--S. 1756, Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act--would reverse the court's deeply-flawed decision and restore the law to what it was for decades.

I'd like to know more about autologous stem cells. Get me some information.

I think there are many heroes, and 'sheroes,' out there in the advocacy organizations.

I am pleased at the importance you have placed on communicating to the American public about the valuable work done at NIH.

I am hopeful, though--and I say this for the record--that sometime during this year, when I find some space opened up a little bit, that I might ask Mr. Fatemi and Ms. Taylor to also see if we can pull this together again.

It's an online town meeting?

I would not want to have a day go by where we were passing up on the opportunity of new ideas to do something about this.

I don't see much of that there right now. I just don't.

The fact that the President's budget was able to come up with a $1 billion increase for NIH is something that--we should all, sort of, credit the administration with their vision for science.

I think, has really been the great leader on this one.

And congratulations, again, on taking over the reins, and we're looking forward to working with you on this terrible budget crunch that we have.

I hope you'll look at involving them in this process.

Here's the whole issue of how NIH decides how much to spend on individual diseases.

I agree that this is something that really needs to be done, and we've talked about it personally many times in the past.

According to this panel, there is no evidence that any of the strategies that people have been told to use to prevent Alzheimer's actually makes any difference.

It's very, very good.

Do you think NCI is pivoting and looking at this and putting more emphasis on it?

Again, that gets me to another question about causes and the rapid growth of certain diseases.

I don't have any problem with the $500 million, but I----

You tell me where to get the money, and----

I am impatient, just as you are--frustrated, as you are--about this terrible disease of pancreatic cancer.

We've got to make some pretty tough decisions, too.

Senator Specter championed and got in there and was on us all the time to make sure that it was not dropped.