Political Quotes

“we on this side accept this measure, but I do have a few things I want to say before saying there is no objection. Sequestration cut $1.6 billion from NIH last year--$1.6 billion. In the omnibus we passed, we gave them current level funding, but that hole for NIH is still there. NIH has lost huge amounts of money over the past few years in the way that we have struggled to get financing for our country. We in the past have been the guiding light for research on diseases and conditions. We are still there, but we are losing ground. Every country in the world looks at the NIH as a place they would like to be. This is a small amount of money, but it will be extremely helpful to the NIH. I would hope my Republican colleagues would join with us in increasing funding for the National Institutes of Health. Senator Durbin is going to introduce a bill today that will fund NIH at levels they need to be funded. It has to be paid for, but it is so very important that we not claim victory for the NIH because of this. It is a small victory and I accept that. I think it is extremely important that we understand the NIH is billions of dollars short of being able to maintain the place they have had in years past. I repeat, they have been losing ground. The last 5 years have been extremely tough for them. We need to do better for the National Institutes of Health. We have scientists around our country who want to do good work.…”