Congressman Cohen Statement on the House Passing the 21st Century Cures Act
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus Co-Chair Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement regarding today’s passage of the 21st Century Cures Act through the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The 21st Century Cures Act takes an important step towards reversing the slide that has stalled or stopped countless biomedical research projects over the last decade. While I do not agree with every provision of the House-approved bill, this compromise is a vast improvement over the status quo that will help jumpstart research at the National Institutes of Health, another department of defense that protects us from deadly diseases and illnesses.”
The 21st Century Cures Act, which passed by a vote of 344-77, would help reverse the decade-long decline in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and provide $8.75 billion a year for advanced medical research programs that could lead to cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, stroke, cancer, Parkinson’s and other severe illnesses. The bipartisan legislation is the product of more than a year of working with patients, caregivers, innovators, regulators, and researchers. Throughout the legislative process, the sponsors and the House Energy and Commerce Committee received countless ideas in response to committee white papers, eight Health Subcommittee hearings, and more than a dozen roundtable discussions hosted by both the committee and members in their districts across the country.