[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5907-5908]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         RESOLUTIONS DISCHARGED

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that applicable 
committees be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate 
now proceed to the immediate consideration of the following resolutions 
en bloc: S. Res. 105, S. Res. 122, S. Res. 128, S. Res. 129, S. Res. 
130, S. Res. 131, and S. Res. 133.

[[Page 5908]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolutions en bloc.


                              S. Res. 128

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to ask my Senate colleagues 
to join me in designating April 2017 as National Congenital 
Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month. Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, 
also known as CDH, is a birth defect that occurs when the fetal 
diaphragm fails to fully develop, allowing abdominal organs to move 
into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. When the lungs do not 
develop properly during pregnancy, it can be difficult for the baby to 
breathe after birth, or the baby is unable to take in enough oxygen to 
stay healthy. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a birth defect that 
occurs in 1 out of every 2,500 live births worldwide. Only about 50 
percent of CDH cases are diagnosed in utero. The Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates that CDH affects 1,600 babies in 
the U.S. each year. Every 10 minutes, a baby is born with CDH, adding 
up to more than 700,000 babies with CDH since 2000. According to the 
CDC, babies born with CDH experience a high mortality rate ranging from 
20 to 60 percent, depending on the severity of the defect and the 
treatments available at delivery; yet most people have never heard of 
CDH.
  Researchers are making great progress to determine the cause of this 
birth defect and to identify optimal treatment methods. In fiscal year 
2017, the National Institutes of Health funded approximately $4 million 
in CDH research, an increase of $700,000 from fiscal year 2015. There 
is still much progress to be made, however. The cause of CDH remains 
unknown, and there currently is no cure. CDH survivors often endure 
long-term complications, such as congenital heart defects and 
developmental delays, and the average CDH survivor will face postnatal 
care of more than $100,000.
  Last month, members from the Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic 
Hernia Research, Awareness and Support, also known as CHERUBS, visited 
my office. Among them were David and Allison Finger and their daughter 
Vivienne from Hyattsville, MD. Vivienne was born with CDH and had to 
spend 60 days in the newborn intensive care unit after birth and had to 
have surgery to repair the hernia when she was only 3 weeks old. On 
March 18, 2017, Vivienne celebrated her second birthday and is doing 
very well. Babies like Vivienne, born with CDH, today have a better 
chance of survival due to early detection and research on treatment 
options.
  For these reasons, I am proud my colleague the junior Senator from 
Alabama, Mr. Strange, has joined me in submitting a resolution 
designating April 2017 as National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia 
Awareness Month. In previous years, I was pleased to work with his 
predecessor, Senator Sessions, on this resolution. Designating this 
month in this fashion provides an opportunity to raise public awareness 
about CDH; promote quality prenatal care and ultrasounds to detect CDH 
in utero; and support finding for the research necessary to improve 
screening and treatment of CDH, discover the causes of CDH, and develop 
a cure for CDH.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolutions be agreed to, the preambles, where applicable, be agreed 
to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table, all en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 105) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in the Record of March 
30, 2017, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
  The resolutions (S. Res. 122 and S. Res. 128) were agreed to.
  The preambles were agreed to.
  (The resolutions, with their preambles, are printed in the Record of 
April 7, 2017, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
  The resolution (S. Res. 129) was agreed to.
  (The resolution is printed in the Record of April 7, 2017, under 
``Submitted Resolutions.'')
  The resolutions (S. Res. 130, S. Res. 131, and S. Res. 133) were 
agreed to.
  The preambles were agreed to.
  (The resolutions, with their preambles, are printed in the Record of 
April 7, 2017, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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