Lloyd Bentsen: “I offered this same amendment when the House Committee on the Budget marked up the budget resolution, and I was told at…”

“I offered this same amendment when the House Committee on the Budget marked up the budget resolution, and I was told at the time that we had put enough money into NIH, that this year we just could not do it. It is ironic that a few weeks ago we passed the China PNTR bill because we wanted to gain access to more markets where we have a comparative advantage. In the world of medical research, where the United States leads the world and has a comparative advantage, we do not want to provide the resources to do that. I know the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Porter) wants to do it, but he is constrained by the budget. How can a sophisticated, mature economy like the United States not provide the resources that are necessary? It is all part of this budget fallacy, because the Chairman well knows that the Senate is going to mark up the full amount and we will go to conference and we will do it. But we are living under artificial constraints by a budget resolution that is not going to hold water at the end of the year. We should do the right thing today, adopt the gentlewoman's amendment, and move forward where we do enjoy a comparative advantage and bring these cures to the American people, because we know we can do it.”