As for the kids with cancer,
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday on the consequences of cuts to the National Institutes of Health: "Director Francis Collins said about 200 patients who otherwise would be admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for clinical trials each week will be turned away. This includes about 30 children, most of them cancer patients, he said."
The
Washington Post's left-liberal Wonkblog picked up the story: "As long as the government is shut down, the National Institutes of Health will turn away roughly 200 patients each week from its clinical research center, including children with cancer."
Healio.com reports that the House today passed a bill to restore NIH funding--but Obama has already issued a veto threat. Yesterday, as the
Washington Free Beacon notes, CNN's Dana Bash asked Reid about it at a press conference:
Bash: You all talked about children with cancer unable to go to clinical trials. The House is presumably going to pass a bill that funds at least the NIH. Given what you've said, will you at least pass that? And if not, aren't you playing the same political games that Republicans are?
Reid: Listen, Sen. Durbin explained that very well, and he did it here, did it on the floor earlier, as did Sen. Schumer. What right did they have to pick and choose what part of government is going to be funded? It's obvious what's going on here. You talk about reckless and irresponsible. Wow. What this is all about is ObamaCare. They are obsessed. I don't know what other word I can use. They're obsessed with this ObamaCare. It's working now and it will continue to work and people will love it more than they do now by far. So they have no right to pick and choose.
Bash: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn't you do it?
Reid: Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is--to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you're irresponsible and reckless--
Bash: I'm just asking a question.