. >> i'm francis collins, director of the national institutes of health, and mike milken, i think, has wonderfully articulated the promise and the challenge of living up to that promise. i want to thank chairman upton and representative degette for convening this whole series of discussions and many members of this committee who have participated by convening similar hearings and roundtables in various parts of the country. i was here for the first roundtable may 6th in this room. i was two weeks ago in lancaster, pennsylvania, when representative pitts convened a very interesting group of us around that table. it is enormously inspiring and encouraging to all of us involved in biomedical research to have this kind of focused attention on the opportunities that now lie in front of us for developing these 21st century cures. i live a paradoxical life because as director of the nih, i have the opportunity on a daily basis to see amazing science that is possible. things that i would not have dreamed would happen in my own lifetime. at the same time i also preside over an effort, which, as

i thank the witnesses and particularly, my good friend and constituent mike milken for all that he has done. >> thank you, mr. chairman for convening this roundtable and thank you to the expert witnesses for your insights. every time we have one of these hearings or roundtables, we learn a lot. we had an excellent roundtable with dr. collins, dr. hamburg, our chairman, dr. burgess, frank blum were there. it was very important and meaningful. dr. collins, you've forcefully made the case that it's imperative for congress to prioritize funding for nih. while i understand the importance of ensuring that fund rg for nih remains stable and predictable, congress is at a crossroads where federal dollars are already committed, particularly as they relate to federal entitlement and safety net programs. if we are going to find resources to stabilize and or potentially increase nih funding, congress is going to have to work hard at prioritizing resources that are focused on advancing science and research to spur the next generation of cures. this is the question -- are there existing sources of re