Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 2266 the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1998, and I applaud the hard work of Members on both sides of the aisle who crafted a truly bipartisan agreement that strengthens our Armed Forces at home and abroad. But, I was disappointed to see that the Department of Defense's peer-reviewed breast cancer research program was funded at only $125 million. Whereas the Senate wisely chose to fund this program at $175 million for fiscal year 1998. Mr. Speaker, breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women. Last year, close to 200,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and nearly 50,000 died of the disease. Women continue to face a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer during their lifetimes. Thankfully the breast cancer death rate for U.S. women has fallen about 5 percent in recent years, dropping from 27.5 per 100,000 women in 1989 to 25.9 in 1993. Officials with the National Cancer Institute attribute the drop, in part, to a rapid increase in mammography and public awareness of the disease. But, research remains our most valuable and indispensable instrument in combating this devastating disease. There is no better argument in favor of more research than my own district on eastern Long Island. Suffolk County, Long Island, which ranks fourth in breast cancer mortality rates among the 116 largest counties in the United States.”