WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today participated in a spotlight hearing on the Trump Administration’s drastic cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The forum, which was hosted by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), detailed the dangerous outcomes of slashing funding for medical research and gutting federal agencies committed to public health.
Durbin began by asking the panelists about what happens to researchers and their projects when federal funding is discontinued.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
“Can you tell me, from your own personal experience, what the typical outcome is for a researcher who has a grant discontinued? What happens next?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Jeremy Berg, former Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, replied that some researchers may be able to temporarily secure short-term resources through their institution, but for most scientists, their project is discontinued with little hope of being restarted.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, former Principal Deputy Director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), referenced the increased likelihood of “brain drain” when the federal government shuts off research funding. With few resources to complete their project, some scientists pursue opportunities in other countries or quit researching altogether. She added that shutting off funding for projects already in progress is wasteful as significant financial investment has already been made into securing patents and developing new technologies. If these projects are abandoned, those investments will see little return.
Durbin then gave the panelists an opportunity to rebut Republicans’ argument that the United States should slow investment in science and medical research because other nations are not contributing enough to medical advancement.
“Tell me about the argument that I hear from them [Republicans] that the United States is doing its more than fair share of research. [That] it’s time for other countries to step up. What about that argument?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Schuchat responded that the United States has a legacy of pushing medical research forward and reaping the economic and innovative benefit. As a result, researchers from around the globe come here to learn from American institutions before returning to their home countries with hopes of improving their nation’s public health. Without U.S. leadership in health research, global health will suffer.
Durbin then spoke about the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at CDC.
“Congress funded the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at CDC with $51 million. With federal funds, the Chicago Health Department reduced the rate of children with elevated blood level from 70 percent in 1996 to two percent today. The entire [CDC] division working to prevent kids from being poisoned by lead was fired. Given how much progress we have made to address child lead poisoning, what do you think will be the impact of eliminating this office?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Schuchat spoke about the danger of lead exposure for children, which has devastating effects on a child’s brain development. Now, state governments are left with fewer resources to address lead exposure, further endangering the long-term health and development of children.
Durbin continued on, referencing his questioning of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. yesterday, in which Secretary Kennedy failed to provide adequate answers to Durbin’s questions about tobacco use prevention.
“I asked Secretary Kennedy yesterday what was the number one preventable cause of death in America today, because he had spoken about how bad our health was generally. He couldn’t come up with the answer. The answer is tobacco. It’s an issue that I’ve been working on for a long time,” Durbin said.
“This is a gift to Big Tobacco to decimate the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, firing its director and most of its employees. How does the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health prevent tobacco addiction among kids and help adults quit?” Durbin asked.
Dr. Schuchat explained that FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products worked closely with CDC on its efforts to curb tobacco use by supporting hotlines like 1-800-QUIT-NOW, which has had dramatic success in adult smoking cessation.
Durbin concluded by describing his decade-long mission to secure funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and research conducted in laboratories across the country. After meeting then-NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, Durbin partnered with Republicans and Democrats to secure an annual five percent increase for NIH funding.
“Ten years ago, I went to see a great American named Francis Collins at NIH… I said, ‘what can I do [to support NIH]?” He said, ‘give us five percent real growth, consistent, predictable, real growth,’” Durbin said. “I set out to do it. [Senator] Patty Murray was my partner in that… in addition [to former Senator] Roy Blunt, conservative Republican from Missouri, led the way in the Appropriations Committee, and [former Senator] Lamar Alexander from the state of Tennessee. The four of us in the span of ten years went from $30 to nearly $50 billion at NIH.”
“What’s going to happen now with the proposed budget is to wipe out the whole 10 years of progress… I think the impact on researchers… has got to be devastating. The point I made to Secretary Kennedy – it isn’t just the loss of research. It’s the loss of hope,” Durbin continued.
“I talked about a friend of mine named [Brian] Wallach, who has ALS, and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya. I said [that] to them, this research is more than a possible cure for his ALS. It is hope that keeps him hanging on for another day, another week,” Durbin said. “It’s not just the loss of research. It’s a message that we’re sending about hope, as to whether or not a cure can be found.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks is available here.
More like this:
