Political Quotes

“next Thursday, June 12, the subcommittee I chair on research will hold a hearing on biotechnology, the potential and the safety. I am a farmer in Michigan, and this is the first year that I have used the so-called roundup ready soybeans to plant on my farm. I have held back, thinking that maybe the nongenetically modified soybean would bring a higher price or have expanded markets, especially in some of those areas of the world that are rejecting it. However, that has not been the case. Biotechnology is now one of the most promising sectors of the economy. It is revolutionizing medicine with at least 95 biotech drugs already approved in the U.S., and there are another 371 drugs on the table for acceptance that are being developed for medications that could help cure cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other conditions. Biotechnology will produce higher-quality foods that can provide both nourishment and immunization to many of the billions of hungry people around the world. In our NSF bill that was signed into law last December 22, we put language in that bill for grants to work with scientists from African countries to help develop the kind of products that could best help their particular country. Unfortunately, biotechnology has come under attack from some in the European Union and elsewhere who hope to avoid competition in this area.”