Elizabeth Warren

This makes it difficult to conduct serious research on the therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana.

My view on this is that we owe it to our servicemembers, anyone who is put in harm's way, to have the best possible equipment.

We all know that traumatic brain injury can have devastating, lifelong consequences for our servicemembers and our veterans, and I am grateful for the work you are doing in this area.

I also want to note that my amendment requires that the Pentagon consider the feasibility of a blast exposure log, analogous to a servicemember's jump log for airborne operations.

I was very glad to get an amendment into this year's defense bill that requires the Pentagon to begin a longitudinal study of the blast exposure that our servicemembers experience.

But this is really important, and I really do appreciate your holding this hearing, Mr. Chairman. This is critical.

I think we need to do more and that is why I have called for an additional billion dollars of funding in next year's budget.

It is clear that making progress on the opioid crisis means putting resources into treating mental health disorders.

Yes, that is really a stunning, stunning number.

I support strengthening those disclosure rules. I have written legislative language to do it.

It is legal, but if drug companies have influence over which drugs these charities help patients buy, then under current law, it would be illegal.

We have to find ways to bring down the cost of prescription drugs and the National Academies recommends that the Federal Government negotiate prices directly with drug companies. I agree.

We have to get better at this. Anything that has a name of the 'Valley of Death' is not good, in terms of acquisition of new, cutting-edge technology.

I am worried that splitting oversight of R&D from acquisition is going to make this problem even worse.

Are you still committed to prioritizing basic and applied research? Will this commitment be reflected in the fiscal year 2019 budget?

Frankly, it didn't even come close, and that's why today we're reintroducing the National Biomedical Research Act, which provides $50 billion in new funding for the NIH and for the FDA.

Cures also fell short in a really big way, and that's on funding.

I led Democrats on this Committee in calling for an extra $50 billion for the NIH and the FDA.

Companies that skirt safety rules should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, but companies that hold Federal contracts paid for with taxpayer dollars should be held to an even higher standard.

I am not asking about what is the policy of others. I am asking about your policy.

Another way to deter companies from taking dangerous shortcuts on worker safety is to publicize fines and penalties.

One way to deter companies from cutting corners and endangering workers is to hold employers, who violate safety laws, personally accountable for the deaths of their workers.

A U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts

I think that would be bad for students overall and with Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, I think it would be even worse.

I am shocked by that answer.