[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 12, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1690-S1691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 93
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, for the second time over the past few
weeks, I have come to the Senate floor to talk about the importance of
medical research funding at the National Institutes of Health--NIH.
Last week during his address to Congress, President Trump unveiled a
new member of the U.S. Secret Service; a 13-year-old named DJ who had
always dreamed of becoming a police officer. It was a touching moment
because DJ wasn't supposed to be alive today. You see, in 2018, he was
diagnosed with brain cancer and given just a few months to live.
Because of advances in science and medicine, because of medical
researchers conducting lifesaving work, because of new treatments and
cures, thank goodness this young man is alive today. And he is alive
because of the work of the National Institutes of Health.
But that work, for a lot of other desperate families, is in danger
because of President Trump and his unelected assistant, Elon Musk, who
are carrying out a cruel campaign to cut research
[[Page S1691]]
funding for diseases such as childhood cancer, ALS, Alzheimer's,
dementia, and so many more.
I don't know young DJ or his family, but I can just imagine what they
went through when they were told their son had brain cancer. Who can
imagine, as a parent, what that must have been like. And I bet you one
of their first questions to the doctor was basic: Is there a cure? Is
there treatment? Is there something we can do? Thankfully, the answer
was ``yes'' because of medical research.
You know, all the miracle drugs you see on TV, a constant deluge of
ads about new drugs--99 percent of drugs approved in the last 10 years
benefited from NIH research. NIH funding is why kids like DJ are
beating cancer, why babies are being spared from preventive illness,
why HIV is no longer a death sentence, why progress is being made on
ALS and so many neurological diseases.
Since the start of this administration, we have seen the White House
unleash a lawless, chaotic attack on everything from our Federal
Aviation Administration to biomedical research.
First, President Trump and Elon Musk ordered a freeze on most Federal
grant funding, including medical research funding. You see, after
extensive review of grant applications, the NIH awards approximately
$38 billion a year in funding to the best and brightest medical
researchers and universities in all 50 States, Illinois included.
But Trump and Musk inexplicably view this as wasteful and needless.
While this freeze was found illegal by a Federal judge, the
administration has continued to defy court order. To this day, we are
taking actions to prevent medical research funding from going out to
scientists in labs with breakthrough ideas. As a result, NIH has
delayed awarding approximately $1 billion in grant funding to
institutions nationwide. What alarms me is that NIH funding has not
historically been a partisan issue. This used to be the most bipartisan
thing in the Senate.
Over the past decade, bipartisan members of Congress--Roy Blunt,
Republican Senator from Missouri; Lamar Alexander, Republican Senator
from Tennessee; and Patty Murray, Democrat from Washington--joined with
me in an effort to increase funding for the NIH. This bipartisan team,
which I was proud to be part of, increased NIH funding over the last 10
years by 60 percent.
We did this because we know sickness does not respect partisan lines.
We need cures on a bipartisan basis, and NIH funding leads to new
breakthroughs for all patients in need, supports good-paying jobs in
red and blue States, and cements our global leadership.
Illinois universities and hospitals receive approximately $1.3
billion in NIH funding every year that support 16,000 researchers in
our State and $3.6 billion in economic activity. Our State is the rule,
not the exception in this regard.
But Trump and Musk aren't finished here. Next, they tried to
indiscriminately slash how NIH pays for indirect costs. What is an
indirect cost? It helps medical researchers operate their laboratories,
it pays for new computers, microscopes, and the handling of hazardous
materials.
They are negotiated on a case-by-case basis between the Federal
Government and each hospital and university. Look, I am open to
discussion about reforms to how indirect costs are calculated, but just
arbitrarily and illegally slashing all indirect cost allotments will
stop medical research in its tracks and many laboratories.
Thankfully, Illinois' attorney general and 21 others sued and secured
temporary relief for universities and researchers. Now Trump and Elon
Musk have focused their efforts on firing the medical researchers
themselves. Reports indicate that 1,200 NIH employees have been fired
so far, experienced vaccine researchers, the next generation of
scientists and the acting director of the NIH's Alzheimer's and
dementia program.
Further, Trump and Musk have ended a popular trainee program that
brought 1,600 young scientists out of colleges to the NIH world-
renowned campus in Maryland. NIH research leads to new cures and
treatments that extend, improve, and save lives. That is why I am once
again trying to pass a resolution pledging just basic bipartisan
support for NIH.
This resolution is simple. It says the work of NIH should not be
subject to interruption, delay, or funding disruptions in violation of
the law, and it reaffirms the workforce of the NIH is essential to
sustaining medical progress.
For kids like DJ, for people like my friend Brian Wallach who is
fighting ALS, for every family out there dealing with a life-
threatening diagnosis, we cannot--we must not--stay silent in the face
of Donald Trump and Elon Musk's assault on medical research.
I will never stop fighting to protect NIH and the medical research it
supports. I hope it once again will become a bipartisan effort.
As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from
further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 93;
further, that the resolution be agreed to; and that the motion to
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection?
The Senator from Oklahoma.
Mr. MULLIN. I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, at this point, I hope I can appeal to my
friend from Oklahoma. It is important to every single State, but it is
certainly important to my State of Illinois where we have thousands of
researchers and millions of dollars being spent. But it is also
important to his State. Oklahoma has very valuable laboratories and
hospitals that do research as well.
I would like to just give you some examples. Each year, Oklahoma
receives $160 million in NIH funding. This money supports 2,500 jobs in
the State of Oklahoma and $450 million in economic activity. The top
NIH funding research in Oklahoma is the University of Oklahoma. It
receives $80 million a year.
With this funding, researchers in Oklahoma recently conducted
research on slowing kidney disease progression, improving brain
function after strokes, and how changes in cell activity can slow the
progression of Alzheimer's.
Senator Mullin, I know, is a graduate--a proud graduate, I am sure--
of Oklahoma State University, which receives $50 million in NIH
funding. Mr. President, I hope I can appeal to my colleague and others
to take a close look at their own home States on this medical research.
It makes a difference in their States, and it makes a valuable
difference in the quality of life for Americans across the board.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.