Tom Cole

We have not been able to get anywhere near where we would like to be.

This budget reflects that it does not care very much about Indian healthcare.

A $300 million cut really is not defensible or acceptable.

I think you made the wise decision financially for the good of the country.

It is a huge seat change to see a representative of the President of the United States bring us a budget that tries to balance and does balance within 10 years.

I am glad you talked to him about this, because I think, ultimately, that is the big crisis we are going to face.

I think that is a wise choice.

When you, the members of Congress, swear allegiance to the Constitution, you are swearing an allegiance to Indian sovereignty whether you know it or not.

I listened very carefully to the response you gave Representative Clark and appreciate it.

The budget makes hard choices, and they are hard, but they are responsible choices that have to be made.

This is simply a case where Congress said we were pretty late getting our omnibus done.

I was, therefore, especially disappointed to see a proposed budget cut to the National Institutes of Health this year.

I am very proud that Congress increased NIH funding by $2,000,000,000 in the fiscal year 2017 omnibus spending bill.

Investment in NIH has been the key driver in making the United States the world leader in biomedical research.

But, again it is Congress that puts the budget together. We have the Article I responsibility for funding the Federal government, and the President's budget is a recommendation only.

I don't favor cutting NIH or Centers for Disease Control. You're much more likely to die in a pandemic than a terrorist attack, and so that's part of the defense of the country as well.

I don't favor cutting NIH or Centers for Disease Control. You're much more likely to die in a pandemic than a terrorist attack, and so that's part of the defense of the country as well.

We can't turn our back on providing the unemployed and underemployed citizens with the services that they need to find a job.

This ability to respond and protect, you know, is, again, every bit as important as our ability to protect our fellow citizens against terrorists.

We look forward to working with you to find ways to stretch those dollars further as well.

So our goal is to fashion a budget that focuses on the things that work, that tries to decrease the areas where there are either duplications or redundancies or waste.

If Americans are willing to support you with their checks, large and small, it suggests to me that you have done your mission.

These are public dollars, and that scrutiny is very, very appropriate and questions from all sides are very, very appropriate.

To govern is to choose, and we will have some tough choices, I have no doubt, to make.

I want to thank my friend for her testimony.