Political Quotes

“first I salute Chairman Harkin and Senator Specter for doing, in my view, a superb job with respect to this bill. They have really set a special standard in terms of trying to work on important issues in a bipartisan way. The chairman has left the Chamber, but I want him to know how much I appreciate the good work he and his staff are doing on this issue. This morning I wish to talk about a health and a scientific issue of extraordinary importance, and that is the vacancies that now exist at the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Cancer Institute. At a time when the public is focused on public health because of bioterrorism, there are many reasons we should be concerned about the work of these agencies and get these positions filled. I want to talk for a few moments about why I am so troubled by the vacancies we are seeing at these agencies today.”