[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 24 (Thursday, February 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE MEDICAL RESEARCH PROTECTION ACT OF 2013

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                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 14, 2013

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Medical 
Research Protection Act of 2013. This bill will protect our national 
investments in biomedical research from impending automatic federal 
budget cuts. If we do nothing, these automatic budget cuts or 
``sequester'' will cancel $85 billion in federal spending between March 
1 and September 30, including roughly $2 billion from the National 
Institutes of Health budget. That amounts to a failure to fund or renew 
funding for some 2,000 grants at America's research universities, where 
the world's top scientists are discovering treatments for diseases like 
cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and HIV/AIDS. This bill would ensure 
that NIH's budget is protected for the balance of this fiscal year.
  I have opposed the sequester--a senseless and irresponsible approach 
to deficit reduction--since day one. I voted against the bill that put 
the sequester in place, and I have sponsored a bill with my colleagues 
in the Progressive Caucus to remove the entire sequester, to protect 
critical programs like Medicare, Head Start, Community Health Centers, 
and so many other priorities.
  That said, Seattle's economy relies uniquely on federal funding for 
biomedical research. Science and technological innovation is the 
lifeblood of our local economy and a source of tremendous civic pride. 
The University of Washington receives more federal funding than any 
other public university in the nation, and is the state's third largest 
employer. The great majority of the UW's federal funds come from the 
NIH. This academic hub creates a spillover effect in the private sector 
that has made Seattle one of the brightest destinations for scientists 
the world over. It is no exaggeration to say that sequestration of 
research funding threatens the heart of Seattle's economy, which is why 
I am introducing a standalone measure today to stop cuts to the NIH.
  To be clear, this bill will turn off the sequester for NIH from the 
period of March 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013, and reduce the 
amount of the sequester by that amount to avoid deeper cuts to other 
programs.

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