Political Quotes

“Let me thank my colleague from New York for yielding. Let me also commend Mr. Larson and Mr. Moulton for their leadership efforts on this, and, of course, Mr. Bilirakis. It is really a great honor to be supporting this legislation. I have known, unfortunately, too many people who suffer from ALS. It is 100 percent fatal. That is the reality of it. All of us who meet advocates every year coming in to lobby us, or to urge us to support more research funding for ALS, we realize very quickly they may be there 1 year and 2 years, and then we never see them again because they have died. It is a brutal neurodegenerative neuromuscular disease, and this 5-month limit that was put on them before they can obtain disability benefits was so unfair. During that 5 months, the disease can progress so rapidly. The medical costs go up. The psychological costs are there. By passing this legislation today, we are going to provide not just financial relief but also psychological and emotional care and relief for their families and friends. In New York, we always refer to this as Lou Gehrig's disease after the famed Yankee slugger, and I am saying that as a Mets fan. Lou Gehrig is a hero in New York. Unfortunately, as great as his baseball record is, he is known most for the disease that ended both his career and his life. Let me just say also, this will be my final appearance on the House floor speaking, the last time I speak on the House floor.…”