Frank Pallone: “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won't use all the time. I just want to stress, again, that the process of getting this bill…”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I won't use all the time. I just want to stress, again, that the process of getting this bill passed and moved both here and in the Senate has been just a great model, if you will, for what we can do when we want to get together and work together on a bipartisan, bicameral basis. So I can't say enough about everyone who was involved on both sides of the aisle and staff for making this happen today. I also want to reiterate some of the things that some of my colleagues have said about how important this is. Because it's on a suspension, some people may say, Well, how important is it? It is extremely important. And some of those sentiments have been echoed by those who talk about the drug and medical device industry, which is really so important to this country. We pride ourselves on innovation. As some of you know, many of these companies are in my district. And we pride ourselves on the fact that Thomas Edison had his lab at Menlo Park, in my district, and that we are an innovative area in New Jersey, and New Jersey as a whole. But innovation can't continue to happen in this industry unless we continue to have an FDA process that runs smoothly and effectively. The fact of the matter is that this legislation is designed to make sure that that continues to happen, that the money is available so we can have an efficient process that continues to make the United States the innovator in the area of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.…”