mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , i rise in opposition to the amendment . 
let me explain what this extreme restriction on the food and drug administration would do . 
the amendment would not allow funding to grant conflict of interest waivers for any food and drug administration advisory committee . 
the effect would be that the top experts in the field of vaccine research or cancer treatments or cardiac devices would not be able to advise the federal government about vaccines , biological products , medical devices , and drugs . 
the conflict of interest waivers exist so that the most knowledgeable scientists , the ones you would want to consult if your own family was ill , can advise government agencies . 
these top scientists are few in number and very specialized . 
most of them have worked in research sponsored by industry at some point in their careers . 
we in congress devised this waiver system so that such experts could serve the government when the need for their services outweighed the potential of conflict of interest due to financial ties to the industry . 
since many fields of research are specialized and unique , the conflict of interest waivers are necessary . 
the granting of a waiver is not pro forma but a measured decision by an impartial party . 
in some cases , waivers are granted only for participation in the advisory group discussion , and the individual is not permitted to vote on the advisory committee recommendation . 
i would also like to draw the attention of my colleagues to the term `` advisory. '' advisory committees make recommendations to fda but do not vote on product approvals . 
product approval decisions are made by federally employed scientists . 
i would ask my colleagues not to cripple the advisory committee system by making it impossible to recruit the appropriate level of scientific expertise . 
please vote no on this amendment . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
