Political Quotes

“I recently met with a passionate group of constituents from Rhode Island who told me of their family's struggle with pancreatic cancer. In particular, Katie Boucher recently recounted the story of her mother, Marie Boucher, who was diagnosed in 2008 and passed away just a year later in 2009 at the age of 59. Her story resonated with me not only because my own grandfather battled pancreatic cancer and ultimately passed away from the disease, but because an estimated 45,000 people were diagnosed with this illness in 2013 alone. Despite great advances in medical science, we are still woefully behind the mark when it comes to pancreatic cancer. To make matters worse, the budgetary impacts of sequestration are forcing cutbacks at the National Institutes of Health, which is responsible for funding much of the biomedical research across the country. Mr. Speaker, we can achieve deficit reduction without sacrificing the vital research that not only drives better health outcomes, but also drives our local economy. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in urging stronger funding for NIH and a stronger focus on biomedical research, not just for Marie Boucher and her daughter, but for the thousands of people who are fighting for their lives in every single district across the country. ____________________”