Political Quotes

“I want to start by thanking Senator Durbin, Senator Cochran, and all my colleagues here today for their work to support critical investments in medical research at the Department of Defense. I am proud to stand with them, but frankly, I am also really disappointed that we have to be here. For decades, investments in medical research by the Department of Defense have advanced improvements in the treatment of some of our toughest diseases. DOD medical research funding has led to the development of new risk assessment tools that help evaluate the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence, as well as new tests to determine the potential spread of a primary tumor. It has helped advance research that could lead to treatment for the debilitating and, to-date, incurable disease ALS. It is supporting ongoing research into improvements in cognitive therapy and access to treatment for children with autism. And I could go on. DOD medical research programs have had such an impact on the lives of tens of millions of servicemembers and their families, as well as patients across the country. These programs certainly don't deserve to be on the chopping block, so it is very concerning to me that the defense authorization bill we are currently debating would severely restrict the scope of DOD research and undermine critical DOD support for research efforts on everything from breast cancer, to MS, to lung cancer, and much more.…”