VIDEO: Rep. Yoder Touts 21st Century Cures Legislation on House Floor

Washington, D.C. – This afternoon, Representative Kevin Yoder (R-KS) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives about the importance of getting the 21st Century Cures Act signed into law before the 114th Congress adjourns in December. The House has scheduled a vote on the legislation for this evening.

Click here to watch a video of the speech. Following are Rep. Yoder’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of innovation, research, and life-saving cures to diseases that affect every family in every neighborhood of America.

“We are set to begin a new era in Washington soon in January, but we still have the opportunity to accomplish meaningful change before the end of the year.

“We have the opportunity to save lives by getting the 21st Century Cures Act signed into law.

“For example, right now, each year 700,000 people die with Alzheimer’s disease.

“By 2050, estimates are that our country will spend $1.1 trillion to treat patients with Alzheimer’s alone. Yet, we spend just a few hundred million dollars a year on Alzheimer’s research.

“This weekend, 60 Minutes highlighted an NIH-backed Alzheimer’s study and the amazing work researchers are doing to find a cure for this dreadful disease.

“21st Century Cures increases our commitment to studies like these by adding almost $5 billion in new investment for research over the next 10 years.

“Mr. Speaker, if we support 21st Century Cures, we will not only save lives, but our investment will pay for itself one thousand times over.

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