[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14791]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             FINDING CURES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of legislation that 
begins making strides toward enhancing our ability to combat some of 
the toughest diseases of our time--the 21st Century Cures Act.
  From improving the development and approval process of drugs and 
devices, to bettering our ability to diagnose and treat diseases like 
Alzheimer's and diabetes, this legislation will have a positive impact 
on countless lives.
  I further applaud provisions in the bill that address mental health 
issues and opioid abuse, both crises that tear families apart in my 
home district of St. Louis and across our Nation.
  However, I also rise today to say that passing this bill must not be 
the end of our efforts, but, rather, the beginning--the beginning as we 
look towards a better day for thousands of children fighting against 
pediatric cancers.
  Mr. Speaker, the 21st Century Cures Act legislation outlines that 
rare and pediatric diseases and conditions should remain a biomedical 
research priority. While the bill provides an additional $4.8 billion 
to the National Institutes of Health, I see little that suggests a 
sufficient amount of this money will be dedicated to pediatric research 
and care.
  This past October, I had the opportunity to tour the Cardinals Kids 
Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis and meet with families 
affected by pediatric cancer, including the Leslie family. The Leslies' 
son, Caleb, was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of bone 
cancer, when he was just 10 years old. Despite the incredible strength 
that Caleb showed in his more than 2-year fight with cancer, he 
ultimately lost the battle on July 22, 2015.
  I was shocked when the Leslies told me that childhood cancer receives 
only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute's annual research 
budget--only 4 percent--an absurdly small amount of money for a 
population with countless life years ahead of them.
  In fiscal year 2016, the NCI was appropriated $5.21 billion, and only 
$208 million of this went toward childhood cancer research. Childhood 
cancer does not discriminate based on gender, race, or social class. 
These are diseases that could affect any of our children at any time.
  It is my hope that going forward, as both a lawmaker and a mother of 
three children, that we can prioritize NCI research funding to give 
every child a fighting chance at a healthy and happy future.
  I am committed to giving families like the Leslies solace, solace in 
knowing that maybe one less family will have to suffer the tragic loss 
that they endured.

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