On Senate Floor, Senator Murray Slams Trump Administration for Abandoning Fight to End Cancer, Emphasizes Importance of Research and Advocacy

ICYMI: Senator Murray Slams Trump Admin for Choking Off Lifesaving NIH Medical Research

New York Times: Trump Is Shutting Down the War On Cancer

***WATCH: Senator Murray's full floor speech***

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, took to the Senate floor to commend the work of cancer researchers and physicians and call attention to how the Trump administration's reckless undermining of medical research will have dangerous consequences for Americans' health and the development of treatments and cures for patients fighting for their lives. In her floor speech, Murray called out reporting in the New York Times Magazine this week on how the Trump administration is systematically attacking America's cancer research system. One of Senator Murray's constituents-Natalie Phelps-lost her shot at a clinical trial to treat her aggressive stage 4 colorectal cancer as a direct result of the Trump administration's decimation of HHS and staffing cuts at the NIH Clinical Center. Murray also underscored the importance of protecting Americans' health care coverage by extending critical health care tax credits that help middle-class families purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace.

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered on the Senate floor today, are below and video is HERE:

"This week, there are advocates here in Congress with the American Cancer Society to advocate for cancer research and prevention.

"This is lifesaving work, and no one does it better than our researchers.

"In my home state of Washington, we have a lot of incredibly smart people who have been making a lot of incredible breakthroughs for patients, and we have a lot of passionate advocates who have been fighting to support their work.

"I've lost track of how many times I have visited the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, but every time I am just blown away by the work they are doing-and they aren't the only ones!

"This isn't just about advancing science though. It is about saving lives, and finding new treatments, therapies, and cures that give hope to patients fighting for their lives.

"Cancer research has a long history of bipartisan support here in Congress.

"But some of my colleagues across the aisle seem to need a reminder and a wakeup call. Because under President Trump, we have seen some reckless moves to undermine medical research, including cancer research.

"Research funding has been pulled without reason, without warning, and without any thought for the consequences.

"This administration has tossed clinical trials into chaos, promising cures into limbo, and threated to abandon our historic global research and leadership in medical research.

"Just this week a new report in the New York Times detailed how research into a rare pediatric brain cancer was totally upended because Trump yanked the funding. That research is halted, and that researcher forced to move on to topics that don't rely on NIH funding.

"It's worth remembering: for many of our rare, deadly diseases, cures are not viewed as a payday for private investors-which makes NIH not just the best hope for finding a cure, but the only hope for desperate patients. At least before Trump came along and stopped funding.

"And that new article, which details other research Trump has sidetracked as well, is just scratching the surface of how bad this is.

"I have heard firsthand from researchers who have seen their work disrupted, and students who were considering leaving the United States to continue their studies.

"I have also received heartbreaking updates from patients, like a mom in my state fighting colon cancer, who had her shot at a critical clinical trial taken away by Trump's chaotic, illegal, funding cuts.

"And now, RFK Jr. has cut off all federal funding for mRNA research, one of the most promising new technologies for cancer treatments. This is so damaging.

"And, in addition to supporting the research that finds new cures, we also need to make sure patients can actually access and afford those cures. That means we have to protect health coverage that helps cancer patients gets care.

"That is why I am fighting to undo damaging Medicaid cuts Republicans passed, and to extend the health care tax credits that are helping millions of families afford coverage right now.

"We have to make a strong case for cancer research and prevention with facts, science, patient stories, and our voices. And I believe speaking out can have a real impact here. Because when I talk to colleagues on both sides, it's clear there is consensus. We should not let years of leadership fall to the wayside.

"In fact, in our Senate funding bill, the bipartisan bill we passed through the Appropriations Committee, we were able to reject some damaging cuts, and make serious investments in cancer research.

"But we have more work ahead to get those bipartisan medical research investments signed into law. I'm not going to stop pushing for that."

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