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THE PRESIDENT: Thanks, Michael. I appreciate you joining us. I love coming to the NIH,
it is an amazing place. It is an amazing place because it is full of decent, caring, smart
people, all aiming to save lives. And I truly believe the NIH is one of America's greatest
assets. And it needs to be nourished.
And I'm real pleased to be working with Elias and the good folks who work here to make sure
that there's ample resources to fund these incredible projects that are taking place.
And we'll talk about some of them today. The purpose of the meeting is to let the American
people understand what kind of work takes place here, and some of the practical applications
of the discoveries that are being made. Obviously, we're all very concerned about cancer. And,
John, thank you for joining us.
First, I'm pleased that we're funding cancer research. We're up about 25 percent or 26
percent since 2001; it's a commitment that I made when I first came to Washington, it's
a commitment we're keeping. And the reason why it makes sense to spend taxpayers' money
on cancer research is that we can make some good progress, and have. Interestingly enough,
this is the second consecutive year there was a drop in the number of cancer deaths
in the United States. And the drop this year was the steepest ever recorded. And the reason
I bring that statistic up is that progress is being made. In other words, there are tangible
results as a result of the research that takes place around the country, and a lot of it
focused here at the NIH.
I had a fantastic experience today with some smart docs talking about how they can use
genetic research, which Francis will talk about, to create cures for a lot of diseases.
We particularly focused on kidney cancer today. And I strongly believe that it makes sense
for us to progress and take advantage of the research that the Human Genome Project has
yielded.
However, I really want to make it clear to the Congress that I hope they pass legislation
that makes genetic discrimination illegal. In other words, if a person is willing to
share his or her genetic information, it is important that that information not be exploited
in improper ways -- and Congress can pass good legislation to prevent that from happening.
In other words, we want medical research to go forward without an individual fearing of
personal discrimination.
Finally, I'm real pleased about the announcement made earlier on the HPV virus -- vaccine.
I don't know if our citizens know, but 70 percent of all cervical cancer comes from
HPV virus. And as a result of good work here and other places, a vaccine has been developed
that the government will dispense to those who qualify, all aiming to continue to build
on the progress being made in dealing with cancer.
And, so, I'm very pleased with the jobs you folks are doing here. And I'm so grateful
for you all to join us; I'm looking forward
to hearing what you have to say. You'll be happy to hear my long-windedness is about
to end. (Laughter.) But thanks for coming.
THE PRESIDENT: That's good. I wish that people could walk the halls here at the NIH and meet
the scientists and employees of this fantastic organization. It is amazing. You talk about
young and smart and bright and excited -- with all due respect, Docs -- (laughter) -- you've
got a lot of really bright people here, which is another subject for another time. But we
better make sure we get the right education working to make sure that our scientists are
given the tools and encourage young kids to become scientists in the first place, so that
these halls remain full of people. Because as Doc said -- he said, if we're not doing
it, somebody is going to, and we want it done here in America. We want -- I mean, we want
to welcome scientists here, too.
And the other thing that struck me was that people from around the globe that are here
working. So, anyway, you're doing a good job. We're spending about $28.6 billion here at
the NIH, which was doubled from 15 years ago, I think it was, or something like that.
Thank you. Michael.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: John, first, before you do it -- if you don't mind -- National Cancer
Institute. Tell people what it is, how it works, if you don't mind.
DR. NIEDERHUBER: It's
a
very exciting time in my long career -- which you were kind enough to point out to me, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I wanted the taxpayers to understand we've got a man of expertise here
-- (laughter) -- setting you up for success.
DR. NIEDERHUBER: I've never experienced a time when science has been so exciting and
been moving at such a rapid pace. This is just an unbelievable opportunity. I'm very
honored to be here.
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for serving.
DR. NIEDERHUBER: I'm honored to be here, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: A man who doesn't like all the initials. (Laughter.)
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I'm excited and I appreciate
the
work being done here in Washington, the work being done at the grassroots level. I thank
you for your articulate presentation, both of you all. And
this government supports what's happening in order to save lives, and
we will.
Thanks.