Janice Schakowsky: “There was some common sense on both sides of the aisle of things that were essential investments for our country, that…”

“There was some common sense on both sides of the aisle of things that were essential investments for our country, that it made sense from every angle at which you looked at this to make those kinds of investments in the National Institutes of Health. I think, right now, we are dealing with some of our colleagues across the aisle who believe that government spending, regardless, is not a smart investment, that the sequester cuts, which are meat-ax cuts across the board, do not distinguish in any way among the programs and that that is a smart way to go. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Congressman Rogers, doesn't agree with that--the sequestration, he agrees, hurts us--but, unfortunately, we don't have the same kind of bipartisan consensus. I think Democrats see the wisdom of this and that we need help from our colleagues. We had it then. We don't now.”