Finding Cures

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WAGNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of legislation that begins making strides toward enhancing our ability to combat some of the toughest diseases of our time--the 21st Century Cures Act.

From improving the development and approval process of drugs and devices, to bettering our ability to diagnose and treat diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes, this legislation will have a positive impact on countless lives.

I further applaud provisions in the bill that address mental health issues and opioid abuse, both crises that tear families apart in my home district of St. Louis and across our Nation.

However, I also rise today to say that passing this bill must not be the end of our efforts, but, rather, the beginning--the beginning as we look towards a better day for thousands of children fighting against pediatric cancers.

Mr. Speaker, the 21st Century Cures Act legislation outlines that rare and pediatric diseases and conditions should remain a biomedical research priority. While the bill provides an additional $4.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health, I see little that suggests a sufficient amount of this money will be dedicated to pediatric research and care.

This past October, I had the opportunity to tour the Cardinals Kids Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis and meet with families affected by pediatric cancer, including the Leslie family. The Leslies' son, Caleb, was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, when he was just 10 years old. Despite the incredible strength that Caleb showed in his more than 2-year fight with cancer, he ultimately lost the battle on July 22, 2015.

I was shocked when the Leslies told me that childhood cancer receives only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute's annual research budget--only 4 percent--an absurdly small amount of money for a population with countless life years ahead of them.

In fiscal year 2016, the NCI was appropriated $5.21 billion, and only$208 million of this went toward childhood cancer research. Childhood cancer does not discriminate based on gender, race, or social class. These are diseases that could affect any of our children at any time.

It is my hope that going forward, as both a lawmaker and a mother of three children, that we can prioritize NCI research funding to give every child a fighting chance at a healthy and happy future.

I am committed to giving families like the Leslies solace, solace in knowing that maybe one less family will have to suffer the tragic loss that they endured.

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