[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5599-H5600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PANCREATIC CANCER RESEARCH

  (Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico asked and was given 
permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend 
her remarks.)
  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I have 
recently met with some constituents from New Mexico whose lives have 
been impacted by pancreatic cancer,

[[Page H5600]]

the deadliest of all major forms of cancer. It's not easy to hear a 
woman talk about losing her husband, a sister talk about losing her 
brother, or even a father talk about losing his daughter.
  It's not easy to listen to their stories, but it's important, and 
here's why: pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer 
deaths in this country; the 5-year survival rate is just 6 percent; and 
there are still no early detection tools or lifesaving treatments.
  Last year, Democrats and Republicans came together to pass the 
Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act, which requires the National Cancer 
Institute to develop a scientific framework for combating both 
pancreatic cancer and lung cancer. Unfortunately, the much-needed 
progress we stand to make is in serious jeopardy. Largely because of 
sequestration, the National Cancer Institute's budget has been 
drastically cut.
  This is simply unacceptable, and it's yet another reason why I 
continue to call for a permanent fix to sequestration. The country 
deserves it; those constituents I met with deserve it; and everyone who 
has lost a loved one to pancreatic cancer deserves it.

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