$5 Billion To Do Work Private Sector Won't Do

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you so much. Francis, thank you for the extraordinary introduction. I want to echo what has just been said about my Secretary of HHS. She is, I just think, outstanding. She hit the ground running, and with all the burdens that she carries, she always has a sense of fun and energy, and is just good to be around. So please give Kathleen Sebelius a big round of applause. (Applause.) I want to acknowledge that we are in Congressman Chris Van Hollen's district, a Democrat from Maryland, and Chris is here and a great supporter of NIH historically. We are very grateful for him. And we are so happy to have Senator Arlen Specter, who is directly responsible for so much of the funding for NIH research. He is a huge champion for your cause. And I know you already gave him a rousing round of applause, but I just want to echo what a great job he's been doing and what a great partner he's been. Finally, somebody who's not here but deserves a little credit is my Vice President, Joe Biden, who is managing the stimulus process -- (microphone screeches) -- whoa! That's Joe trying to call in. (Laughter.) Joe is doing a great job, but he is pretty tough when it comes to tracking the money and so he's going to be paying attention -- Doc -- (laughter) -- to make sure that it's going where it's supposed to be going. Before I begin my remarks about this extraordinary institution I want to say a word about the tragic events that took place yesterday in America Samoa. My deepest sympathies are with the families who've lost loved ones and the many people whose lives have been affected by the earthquake and the tsunami. To aid in the response I declared this a major disaster to speed the deployment of resources. And FEMA -- the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- is working closely with emergency responders on the ground, and the Coast Guard is helping to provide immediate help to those in need. We also stand ready to help our friends in neighboring Samoa and throughout the ...