Dick Durbin: “I will respond to the Democratic leader and say that I have heard the same thing. There are some Republicans in the…”

“I will respond to the Democratic leader and say that I have heard the same thing. There are some Republicans in the House who believe that sequestration--this across-the-board cut--is what we should do, and I could not disagree more. I chair the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. If we go forward with the sequestration, this will be devastating to America's national defense. If we get into this practice of cutting back in biomedical research, it will not only deny us the basic money we need to fund research grants--and we are now funding a lower percentage than we have in decades--it will also mean a discouraging message to researchers. They are going to think: What is the point in becoming an NIH researcher if the government and Congress will not provide the basic resources we need? The third element, which we cannot overlook, are all of the millions of people in the United States and around the world who are praying that we will be able to come up with breakthroughs when it comes to medical research. In the United States of America, a person is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease once every 68 seconds. Last year we spent over $200 billion on Medicare and Medicaid for the care of Alzheimer's patients. What Francis Collins has said to me is that if we can dedicate growth in research funds, we can--with the grace of God and maybe miraculously--find a cure or find a way to delay the onset of Alzheimer's, even for a few months.…”