Arlen Specter

Does the executive share the sense of urgency, which the subcommittee feels on this subject?

Well, we are not going to let any time go unused.

I want to hear more than whether you are impressed with them. I want to know if anybody else is doing what they are doing.

Has any entity as prominent as UPMC with its very prestigious, very effective operation been as innovative and thoughtful in coming up with a proposal to deal with this very serious national problem?

I think that is clearly a part of this. I think there is a range of possible solutions to this problem, of which the public/private partnership is clearly one.

Does there not really have to be something like a public/private partnership where the Government is able to control what the producers are going to do?

What we are talking about is smallpox, anthrax, ebola virus, botulism, and others where there could be a very serious public health problem.

Are there not major problems in looking for manufacturers because the big companies do not want to undertake manufacturing these kinds of vaccines?

The complexities of just the reliability of producing the influenza vaccine by the manufacturers that make vaccine.

We are not going to spend any money which is not really necessary as a matter of public policy and public welfare.

We do not get caught like we got caught on Katrina, do not get caught with a problem with swine flu or any of these other kinds of problems.

We are talking about very substantial funds to meet a very substantial problem.

Since 2004, when I chaired this subcommittee, with the joinder of Senator Harkin, who is now the chair, we appropriated $6.4 billion to deal with the vaccine problem.

It is obvious that we have a significant problem in meeting a problem which could be enormously serious--enormously serious.

After being at those town meetings, I'd be delighted to be anywhere.

Stop scaring seniors about health care reform

Stop scaring seniors about health care reform.

You want to be led out of here? You're welcome to go.

This health care reform act is a vehicle not for health care. This is a vehicle to take us down to a path of total socialism and totalitarianism.

You want to be led out of here, you are welcome to go.

I will not vote for a plan that adds to the deficit.

We're trying to get $10 billion added, as a base of 30--start with 40--which would give us a better opportunity to do more on this very, very important ailment.

I think there ought to be a bigger share for autism, and we're pushing to make that happen.

Senator Harkin and Senator Cochran and I have worked hard on funding for the NIH, and for a decade we were able to raise funding from $12 to $30 billion.

Autism is a heartbreaking ailment, and of the many issues we have to face, among the toughest, talking to parents who have children who suffer from autism.