[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 3 (Thursday, January 29, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S234-S236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         SENATE RESOLUTION 170--RELATIVE TO BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

  Mr. SPECTER (for himself, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Frist, Mr. Reed, Ms. Snowe, 
Mr. DeWine, and Mr. D'Amato) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Budget:

                              S. Res. 170

       Whereas past investments in biomedical research have 
     resulted in better health, an improved quality of life for 
     all Americans and a reduction in national health care 
     expenditures;
       Whereas the Nation's commitment to biomedical research has 
     expanded the base of

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     scientific knowledge about health and disease and 
     revolutionized the practice of medicine;
       Whereas the federal government represents the single 
     largest contributor to biomedical research conducted in the 
     United States;
       Whereas biomedical research continues to play a vital role 
     in the growth of this Nation's biotechnology, medical device, 
     and pharmaceutical industries;
       Whereas the origin of many of the new drugs and medical 
     devices currently in use is based in biomedical research 
     supported by the National Institutes of Health;
       Whereas women have traditionally been underrepresented in 
     medical research protocols, yet are severely affected by 
     diseases including breast cancer, which will kill over 44,000 
     women this year; ovarian cancer which will claim another 
     14,800 lives; and, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disorders;
       Whereas research sponsored by the National Institutes of 
     Health is responsible for the identification of genetic 
     mutations relating to nearly 100 diseases, including 
     Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, 
     osteoporosis, many forms of cancer, and immune deficiency 
     disorders;
       Whereas many Americans still face serious and life-
     threatening health problems, both acute and chronic;
       Whereas neurodegenerative diseases of the elderly, such as 
     Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease threaten to destroy the 
     lives of millions of Americans, overwhelm the Nation's health 
     care system, and bankrupt the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
       Whereas 33 million Americans annually suffer from injuries 
     resulting from trauma;
       Whereas 4 million Americans are currently infected with the 
     hepatitis C virus, an insidious liver condition that can lead 
     to inflammation, cirrhosis, and cancer as well as liver 
     failure;
       Whereas 200,000 Americans are now suffering from AIDS and 
     hundreds of thousands more with HIV infection;
       Whereas cancer remains a comprehensive threat to any tissue 
     or organ of the body at any age, and remains a top cause of 
     morbidity and morality;
       Whereas the extent of psychiatric and neurological diseases 
     poses considerable challenges in understanding the workings 
     of the brain and nervous system;
       Whereas recent advances in the treatment of HIV illustrate 
     the promise research holds for even more effective, 
     accessible, and affordable treatments for persons with HIV;
       Whereas infants and children are the hope of our future, 
     yet they continue to be the most vulnerable and underserved 
     members of our society;
       Whereas approximately one out of every five American men 
     will develop prostate cancer and over 40,000 men will die 
     from prostate cancer each year;
       Whereas diabetes, both insulin and non-insulin forms, 
     afflict 16 million Americans and places them at risk for 
     acute and chronic complications, including blindness, kidney 
     failure, atherosclerosis and nerve degeneration;
       Whereas the emerging understanding of the principles of 
     biomimetrics have been applied to the development of hard 
     tissue such as bone and teeth as well as soft tissue, and 
     this field of study holds great promise for the design of new 
     classes of biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic and 
     analytical reagents;
       Whereas research sponsored by the National Institutes of 
     Health will map and sequence the entire human genome by 2005, 
     leading to a new era of molecular medicine that will provide 
     unprecedented opportunities for the prevention, diagnoses, 
     treatment, and cure of diseases that currently plague 
     society;
       Whereas the fundamental way science is conducted is 
     changing at a revolutionary pace, demanding a far greater 
     investment in emerging new technologies, research training 
     programs, and in developing new skills among scientific 
     investigators;
       Whereas most Americans show overwhelming support for an 
     increased federal investment in biomedical research: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This resolution may be cited as the ``Biomedical 
     Revitalization Resolution of 1998''.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       It is the sense of the Senate that funding for the National 
     Institutes of Health should be increased by $2,000,000,000 in 
     fiscal year 1999 and that the budget resolution appropriately 
     reflect sufficient funds to achieve this objective.

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition today for the 
purpose of submitting a resolution calling for the Budget Committee to 
add $2 billion for the National Institutes of Health, and I do so 
because of the unanimous view expressed by the Senate last year on a 
resolution that NIH funding should be doubled over the course of the 5 
years following the date of the introduction of the resolution by our 
distinguished colleague, Senator Mack. That resolution was introduced 
on January 22, 1997. Regrettably, even though that resolution was 
passed 98 to nothing, when the budget resolution was returned, the 
appropriate health account has a reduction of $100 million. So that 
even though the Senate had spoken on its intent to see NIH funding 
raised, doubling over 5 years, and that was from a figure of about $13 
billion, the funds simply were not there. That led to the introduction 
of an amendment to the budget resolution by Senator Harkin and myself, 
Senator Harkin being my distinguished colleague and ranking member of 
the subcommittee which I chair on Labor, Health, Human Services and 
Education. And we sought to add in $1.1 billion to carry out the 
expressed sense of the Senate. That was defeated 63 to 37. So that, 
while the Senate had expressed its druthers on a resolution, when it 
came to the dollars they simply were not there.
  Senator Harkin and I then went to work with our subcommittee and we 
were able, by making economies and establishing priorities, to add $952 
million to the NIH account for an increase of 7.5 percent. After the 
conference we did increase the figure by some $907 million, so that now 
the National Institutes of Health has $13,647,843,000. And the National 
Institutes of Health, I suggest to my colleagues, and the country--
anybody who is watching on C-SPAN2--is the crown jewel of the Federal 
Government. The funding has been increased steadily during my tenure in 
the Senate, regardless of who was chairing the subcommittee. Although 
the budgets were always high, frequently had cuts called for by the 
administration, when the chairman was Senator Weicker, when the 
chairman was Lawton Chiles, when the chairman was Tom Harkin, or more 
recently under my chairmanship, we have increased the funding 
tremendously. And the National Institutes of Health has responded with 
really extraordinary advances in research identifying genes. Now the 
work has to be pushed forward to see exactly what can be accomplished 
in the next century.
  The President said on Tuesday night that someone born today would 
have a good chance of living into the 22nd century, 100 years. I think 
that is a possibility. But only if we maintain the phenomenal advances 
of the NIH.
  I personally have been the beneficiary of the tremendous advances of 
the National Institutes of Health. Two decades ago there was no such 
thing as an MRI. That device detected a problem for me. And other 
advances led to good results for me. I know millions of people have 
benefited from the research and the investment which we have made in 
the National Institutes of Health. But that takes money, and that is 
why this resolution is being offered by Senator Harkin, Senator Frist, 
Senator Reid, Senator Snowe and myself, to call upon the Budget 
Committee to add in $2 billion so we can carry forward the important 
work of the National Institutes of Health.
  Last year I attended the dedication of a building named in honor of 
Senator Hatfield, who has been a tremendous leader on NIH, and many 
other items, the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee 
for many years. When I was there, I talked to Dr. Varmus, who is the 
head of NIH. I said, ``Dr. Varmus, what would it really take?'' As I 
asked Dr. Klausner, who heads the cancer research, ``Tell us what you 
can really appropriately use?'' Because many grant applications are 
turned down. He said, ``Well, Senator, I can't really tell you that 
because we have to file the wish list with the Office of Management and 
Budget.'' He didn't quite put it that way. But there are limitations.
  I said to Dr. Varmus, ``This year the Senate is going to want to know 
in an unvarnished form what you really think could be appropriately 
used for the National Institutes of Health.'' Then I made a comment 
that we still have the subpoena power, to really find out what it would 
take. And I suspect that it is a very large figure. But when you have a 
Federal budget of $1.7 trillion, I believe it is possible to establish 
priorities to make NIH a top priority.
  In the last few years, Senator Harkin and I have consolidated and 
eliminated 135 programs to enable us to save $1.5 billion. It's pretty 
hard to eliminate a program in Washington, DC, but we have been able to 
do that. With that $1.5 billion we have allocated those funds to NIH, 
guaranteed student loans, and many, many other important projects.
  So, with those brief comments I send this resolution to the desk. I 
ask it be held at the desk. I ask my colleagues who are listening on C-
SPAN2, or their

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staffs, to take a look at the resolution because I would like to see 
cosponsors. I think we ought to have the 98 who voted last year for the 
resolution which I cosponsored with Senator Mack, and perhaps the two 
absentees as well.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I am pleased to rise in support of the 
resolution before us today to express the Sense of the Senate that the 
Federal commitment to biomedical research at the National Institutes of 
Health is one of our highest priorities in fiscal year 1999. This 
resolution states that Congress should increase the NIH budget by $2 
billion next year.
  I would like to commend my colleague, Senator Specter, for his 
leadership in bringing this resolution forward today to ensure our 
commitment to biomedical research. I was an original cosponsor with 
Senator Mack of similar legislation, Senate Resolution 15, introduced 
on the first day of the 105th Congress. The ``Biomedical Research 
Commitment Resolution of 1997,'' expressed the Sense of the Senate that 
the NIH budget should be doubled over the next five years. The 
resolution before us today puts us one step closer to achieving that 
goal.
  I have struggled with the effort to balance the budget and preserve a 
strong federal role in biomedical research during times of fiscal 
restraint. As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, it will be my 
goal to increase the NIH budget within the context of the overall 
budget agreement reached by Congress last year.
  Historically, Congress has demonstrated strong support for increased 
funding for the important work of the National Institutes of Health. 
The scientific and medical breakthroughs supported by the National 
Institutes of Health in the last 50 years have improved vastly our 
capacity to prevent, diagnose, and treat human disease. As a heart and 
lung transplant surgeon, I know that biomedical research is 
fundamentally important in our battle against disease. As Americans, we 
have the benefit of one of the finest health care systems in the world, 
and it is vital that we continue to invest in our research efforts to 
maintain this health care system.
  As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Health and Safety 
with jurisdiction over the NIH, I believe that one of the federal 
government's primary duties is to ensure our investment in long-term 
biomedical research as a public good. The commitment to this investment 
allows us to reap many benefits in improving the quality of life for 
our citizens. It is in this spirit that I urge my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle to support the passage of this resolution in 
recognition that the future of our nation's health is dependent on our 
strong investment in biomedical research.

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