Congressional Cuts Have Consequences

Statement

When Congressman Reichert and the House GOP voted to cut the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control by over $1.5 billion, they damaged the United States' ability to prevent Ebola from becoming a health risk at home.

Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health spoke recently about the devastating impact the Sequester and other cuts have had on the organization's efforts, "NIH has been working on Ebola vaccines since 2001. It's not like we suddenly woke up and thought, 'Oh my gosh, we should have something ready here.' Frankly, if we had not gone through our 10-year slide in research support, we probably would have had a vaccine in time for this that would've gone through clinical trials and would have been ready."

Defending these vital programs is essential to our national security. When Reichert and his fellow House members allow political gamesmanship to put American lives at risk, it's up to us to hold them accountable.

These cuts are a danger to our nation and if elected to Congress, I'll sponsor and fight for legislation that reverses these cuts to vital programs and gives the scientists and doctors the resources they need to fight infectious diseases that threaten America and people around the world.

We are the greatest country in the world with the resources and knowledge to beat any adversary. We can't let partisanship and out-of-touch politicians like Reichert hold us back. Our government is at its best when it's taking the lead in science, technology and research, giving businesses the head start they need to grow our economy and protect our citizens. It's time for America to be a leader once again in the fight against infectious diseases.

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