Arlen Specter: “I am convinced that National Institutes of Health are the crown jewel of the Federal Government and they have made…”

“I am convinced that National Institutes of Health are the crown jewel of the Federal Government and they have made tremendous progress in conducting research into the causes and cures for disease. My vision for America in the 21st Century is to find the cure for cancer, for Alzheimer's, for Parkinson's, for the severe mental illnesses, for diabetes, for osteoporosis, and for heart cardiovascular disease. All of this is within our reach if we make the proper allocation of our resources. As Chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, I am firmly committed to prioritizing our resources in order to provide maximum funding for biomedical research. Funding for the National Institutes of Health has been increased steadily during my tenure in the Senate, regardless of who was chairing the subcommittee. Although the budgets were always tight and frequently had cuts called for by the administration, we have increased the funding tremendously. And the National Institutes of Health has responded with extraordinary advances in research.”