Tom Harkin

I think these are vital objectives.

But to counter back that, somehow or other, we are responsible as corn farmers for the chopping down of the trees of Brazil or anyplace else is, on the face of it, ludicrous.

We are grateful to the subcommittee for your continued leadership and your investment in lifesaving programs that prevent and end domestic violence.

We thank Chairman Harkin and the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Service, and Education, and Related Agencies for your consideration of this testimony.

I urge you to provide stroke research with a significant funding increase.

President Obama has requested $1.5 billion in the supplemental...

Pork is safe. It's safe to eat, it's safe to handle...

People should not panic on this. But there are things each individual can do.

Thank you very much. But again, I would return the compliments to you and to the Centers for Disease Control...

It costs us a lot of money every year. A lot of people die of influenza every year.

As Senator Specter said earlier, we provided--again, with his great help and assistance, we provided $10 billion, as you know, in the recovery bill, the stimulus bill for NIH.

So why did this happen? Why did this happen? Why wouldn't they have gone--I mean, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the gold standard in the world.

That's why I wanted you here today, to allay the fears of people, that pork is safe, it's safe to eat.

I don't know how that happened. I opened up the newspaper this morning and there's a picture of pigs and hogs, as though all of them are affected with this.

The White House will be requesting $1.5 billion.

I really think it behooves us to move as rapidly as possible to get these facilities built, so that we can develop that vaccine as rapidly as possible to protect our people.

The White House is announcing today that they will be asking us on this subcommittee for $1.5 billion to respond to this swine flu in the supplemental.

We are trying to learn the lessons of 1976 so that we learn and do as well as we can.

I can't think of anything more--that would--near more to our defense than Homeland Security than making sure that we have adequate protection for our people in case of a pandemic.

We need the workforce on the ground so when we have that vaccine, we can put it in people's arms.

I remain deeply concerned about their ability to rapidly answer a growing pandemic in some areas of some States.

I think what is happening right now makes it crystal-clear that the public health departments, both of our State and our Federal Government, have been inadequately funded in the past.

Thank you for your wisdom when you, in 19--in 2006, put forth this funding so we could be at the point we are of preparedness today.

Yes. Well, again, we need further discussions with you and with the CDC and, of course, with Health and Human Services to find out just how much resources we need to come up with.

And we should do that as soon as possible to get as many doses ready as possible for the next flu season.