DeGette, Upton statement on meeting with President Biden

Statement

Following is a joint statement from U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Fred Upton (R-MI) after their meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office this afternoon to discuss the success of the 21st Century Cures Act -- a landmark piece of legislation DeGette and Upton co-authored in 2016 to revolutionize how the U.S. develops new cures and treatments for some of the world's most devastating diseases -- and how to continue building upon that success going forward:

"What we're seeing now are the consequences of a global health crisis getting out of control. The federal government has amazing resources at its disposal to help prevent and cure some of the world's most devastating diseases. Now is the time to put those resources to use, not only to end this pandemic, but to cure some of the other heartbreaking illnesses that affect millions of Americans every year -- including cancer, diabetes, ALS, lupus, Alzheimer's and so much more.

"Among the topics we discussed today with the President was the new ARPA-H initiative. We welcome this exciting, bold proposal that builds on our goal of speeding up the development of treatments and cures while bringing consumer costs down. We need every tool in the toolbox to find faster cures. We hope to help once again turn good, groundbreaking bipartisan ideas into reality.

"In 2016, we had the privilege to work with then-Vice President Biden to make his cancer moonshot program a reality as part of our 21st Century Cures Act. Like too many families across this country, the Bidens know the pain and heartache that comes from losing a loved one to cancer -- and, like us, they're determined to find a cure.

"Diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimer's, don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat, and that's why we were able to garner such bipartisan support for our original 21st Century Cures bill.

"Today, President Biden told us ending cancer as we know it would be a major priority, and we couldn't be more excited to be working with him, once again, to help make this dream come true."

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