Cuts to health and human services are dangerous

Fred Upton honorably served Southwest Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives for 36 years. Among his many contributions to our region, our state, and our country was the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, which he co-sponsored with Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado.

In an Op-Ed published April 14th in the Washington Post, former Congressman Upton and current Congresswoman DeGette strongly criticized the destructive actions being taken by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the Health and Human Services (HHS) department.

In late March, Kennedy announced a restructuring of HHS, which included firing 10,000 staff and combining vital agencies. Among those who were fired were many staff members who support research into groundbreaking cures and treatments.

Quoting from the article: “Eliminating such a large portion of the HHS workforce will put the lives of millions of Americans at risk as lifesaving cures and treatments are pushed further into the future and public health takes a back seat to personal grievance and paranoia.”

The 21st Century Cures Act strengthened the National Institutes of Health (NIH), spurred innovation and set the stage for lifesaving medical breakthroughs. Today, critical grants to research facilities have been canceled and the Trump administration is firing thousands across HHS.

Where do Representatives Huizenga and Walberg stand on this issue? Do they appreciate the need for continued development of “lifesaving cures and treatments” as was supported by Congressman Upton, or do they support the destructive HHS cuts and peg their hopes on the likes of Kennedy and his demonstrated distrust of scientific research and development?

I urge all to read Upton’s article and demand appropriate responses from our current Representatives.

Ed Shaffer