Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I reluctantly rise today in support of H.R. 5651, the Food and Drug Administration Reform Act of 2012. First, I would like to commend Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman for putting together a bipartisan bill. Bipartisan bills are a rarity in this Congress and I hope we can use the goodwill gained in this bill to come together on additional measures, such as those that create jobs and promote economic growth. While this bill has support from both sides of the aisle, from my perspective, it does not go far enough. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tasked with ensuring the safety of $2 trillion in products produced by industry. The FDA's approval of a company's products all but guarantees profits for that company. Companies that benefit from the FDA's approval should significantly contribute to the FDA's budget to reduce the burden on taxpayers who are already paying for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and two unpaid wars. In FY 12, user fees comprised a mere 35 percent of the FDA's budget. The FDA is facing many challenges. Approximately half of medical devices used in the United States come from abroad. Nearly 40 percent of the drugs Americans take are made overseas and about 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients are imported. Several years ago, contaminated heparin from China caused a number of deaths and illnesses in my Congressional District.…”