Jeff Bingaman: “I also want to express my deep gratitude to Senator Baucus for sponsoring the Heritage Act.”

He knows the crucial role that Congress plays in setting policy and in overseeing how that policy is carried out.

I would certainly like to thank Senator Bingaman, who just retired just very recently, for the strong support that he has shown me over the years, and including support for this nomination.

In December 2010 U.S. Senators Tom Udall, Tom Harkin, and Jeff Bingaman requested an independent study from the National Academy of Sciences on whether chimpanzees are necessary as invasive research subjects.

The President, in my view, could not have chosen a better nominee for the position than Mike.