During House floor remarks on Thursday, Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) slammed potential National Institutes of Health funding cuts.
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00:00Mr. Speaker, this year I received a letter from Rachel, a mother in my district with
00:07stage 4 lung cancer, who is living on borrowed time. She's depending on future innovation
00:15driven by NIH research to see her son grow up. Her words are more powerful than mine,
00:23so I will read them directly. Quote, I could write endless words about how many will be
00:31devastated by these funding cuts, but this is not that kind of letter. Despite my generous nature,
00:37cancer has taught me to be selfish. Every single day, I think about my mortality. How long do I
00:44have left? Is that shoulder pain or something else? Will I be alive to see my son graduate from high
00:51school? He turned 11 in February, and I made him a lemon cake. NIH funding cuts will no doubt shorten
01:00my life. There is no truth about which I have ever been more certain. End quote. Mr. Speaker,
01:09our constituents are literally begging for their lives. As a physician and a mother, I cannot speak
01:16enough about the harm that this bill, this cut to NIH funding will do. I understand the importance
01:26of NIH funding because that is the driver of innovation and scientific discovery. To my Republican
01:34colleagues, now is the time to show courage. Stop these cuts to the NIH. Do not undermine scientific
01:42innovation. And to Rachel, I will fight for you with everything I have. You deserve to see
01:50your son graduate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield back.
01:54The chair now recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Thompson, for five minutes.
01:59This
02:00is a
02:13Also, I'm going to take a chance of