GOP rejects Obama sequestration deal

Senior Republicans, including Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), rejected a White House plea on Tuesday to defer budget sequestration. Kingston downplayed concerns raised by NIH Director Francis Collins and the Alliance for a Stronger FDA that sequestration could hinder biomedical science and reduce FDA's ability to ensure the safety of medical products. "That is the kind of thinking that got us into" the deficit situation, Kingston told BioCentury. Kingston chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education and related agencies.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) told BioCentury he opposes sequestration, but thinks it is likely to be implemented. McDermott is the ranking member of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee. ...