Harry Reid ‘Why would we’ help one cancer patient, then insults intelligence of reporter asking
The government shutdown has created a lot of bizarre statements but Harry Reid’s response to a reporter pressing in funding the NIH ranks at the top.
Harry Reid caricature by donkeyhotey [email protected]
The CNN reporter repeated the argument that we should try to save at least one child if possible.
DANA BASH: You all talked about children with cancer unable to go to clinical trials. The House is presumably going to pass a bill that funds at least the NIH. Given what you’ve said, will you at least pass that? And if not, aren’t you playing the same political games that Republicans are?
HARRY REID: Listen, Sen. Durbin explained that very well, and he did it here, did it on the floor earlier, as did Sen. Schumer. What right did they have to pick and choose what part of government is going to be funded? It’s obvious what’s going on here. You talk about reckless and irresponsible. Wow. What this is all about is Obamacare. They are obsessed. I don’t know what other word I can use. They’re obsessed with this Obamacare thing. It’s working now and it will continue to work and people will love it more than they do now by far. So they have no right to pick and choose.
BASH: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?
CHUCK SCHUMER: Why put one against the other?
REID: Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is — to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you’re irresponsible and reckless —
BASH: I’m just asking a question.
“How out-of-touch and heartless can Senate Democrats be?” an email from the National Republican Senatorial Committee asked.
Mr. Reid’s office tweeted that he was taken out of context.
“Republicans are in such desperate straits that they have literally resorted to accusing me of not caring about kids with cancer. Shameful,” the office tweeted.
