Political Quotes

“So this is a jobs bill. And those who know me know that I have a long record of supporting innovation when it comes to research and development of new drugs and devices. That is why I was proud to help author the 21st Century Cures Act with my Democratic colleague Diana DeGette. This bill broke down the barriers for research and development, put a greater focus on patient- centered care, and gave billions in resources to the National Institutes of Health. President Obama signed our bill into law at the end of 2016. It marked a truly great victory for both patients and researchers across the country. And now that Cures is law, we have got to make sure that the FDA is able to handle the new breakthrough treatments in a timely and predictable fashion, all while still maintaining the highest levels of patient safety. That is why this agreement is so important. My district in southwest Michigan has literally thousands of jobs on the line that are affected by this legislation, and whether it is on the drug side at Pfizer, or the device side at Stryker, or the generic side at Perrigo--all in my district--passing this legislation is vital to those good-paying local jobs, as well as to the patients who will benefit from the new therapies that get those products to market.”