[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E493]]



  IN SEARCH OF A CURE: SUPPORT INCREASED FUNDING FOR DIABETES RESEARCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2000

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to increase 
funding for diabetes and support a $1 billion diabetes research budget 
for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I ask that Congress make 
the quest for a cure for diabetes a top national priority--there can be 
no cure without a significant increase in funding.
  Diabetes has been called the ``epidemic of our time'' by the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1995, 135 million cases of 
diabetes were reported worldwide, and that is expected to exceed 300 
million by 2025.
  Diabetes is a debilitating and deadly disease: it affects 16 million 
Americans; it kills one American every three minutes; it is the leading 
cause of new adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic 
amputations; and it is a major risk factor for heart disease and 
stroke. Diabetes disproportionately affects young children, older 
Americans, and members of minority populations. In addition, 
expenditures for the treatment of diabetes are in excess of $100 
billion and individuals with diabetes account for one in four Medicare 
dollars.
  In the past, Congress has strongly supported providing the necessary 
resources to find a cure for diabetes, but funding has often fallen 
short of desired expectations. I strongly support the findings in the 
Diabetes Research Working Group's (DRWG) report, which has laid out a 
comprehensive plan for utilizing increased resources. The report 
indicates that diabetes research is significantly underfunded when 
compared to the burden of the disease and the scientific opportunities 
in the field.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in substantially increasing funding 
for diabetes research. Let us put this terrible disease on the path to 
a cure. If we act now, diabetes will never again be the burden on 
society that it is today.

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