Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDDA) and my bipartisan amendment which authorizes an increase of five million dollars for a pancreatic cancer early detection initiative (EDI) at the Department of Defense (DoD). I thank my colleagues, Rep. Eshoo and Rep. McKinley, for their support and leadership on this issue. Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all major cancers--in large part due to lack of research in early detection. I believe we all agree that the patients, families, friends and loved ones suffering from this disease deserve greater support. My amendment will provide critical funding needed for more research and an early detection initiative (EDI) under the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) at DoD. I am pleased that the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee has already appropriated fifteen million dollars for general pancreatic cancer research funding in this year's funding legislation. While encouraging, we need to continue doing more. This issue has hit painfully close to home recently, as America lost giants to pancreatic cancer. Rep. John Lewis, our civil rights hero, passed away from pancreatic cancer only seven months after receiving his diagnosis. My good friend and colleague, Rep. Alcee Hastings, also passed from pancreatic cancer earlier this year. And, Americans lost a fighter for voting rights and women's protection, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to this deadly disease.…”