In a recent turn of events, Democrats and their media counterparts have been accused of orchestrating a disinformation campaign, attempting to shift the blame for the delay in pediatric cancer research funding onto Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump.
However, a closer look at the situation reveals a different narrative.
According to Gateway Pundit, the Republican-led House had already taken proactive steps towards this cause, having passed a comprehensive bill for pediatric cancer research in March.
However, the bill was left in limbo for nine months in the Senate, under the leadership of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who only took action after the issue was brought to light.
The controversy was sparked when a 1,500-page Democrat-Johnson continuing resolution (CR), filled with unrelated expenditures, was put on hold following public criticism from Musk and Trump. Both vowed to challenge any Republican who supported the inflated measure.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was quick to retaliate, accusing Musk of single-handedly obstructing pediatric cancer funding. "Republicans are marching America to a painful government shutdown that will crash the economy and hurt working class Americans because they would rather enact massive tax cuts for their billionaire donors than fund cancer research for children," Jeffries stated.
The narrative was further propagated by left-wing media figures. MSNBC reporter Sam Stein falsely claimed, "Pediatric cancer research advocates spent years building up to this week. They celebrated when their priorities were included in the CR [Continuing Resolution]. And then, Elon began tweeting."
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also joined the fray, accusing Musk and Republicans of actively blocking funding for child cancer research.
However, the truth of the matter is that the House GOP had already passed a standalone pediatric cancer research funding bill in March. The bill, known as the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, was passed by the House of Representatives on March 5, 2024, with an overwhelming majority vote of 384-4.
The bill reauthorizes the Kids First Pediatric Research Program at the National Institutes of Health with authorized funding of $12.6 million annually from 2024 to 2028.
Despite initial support, the bill remained stalled for several months in Chuck Schumers Senate. Only after the issue was exposed did the U.S. Senate unanimously pass H.R. 3391, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, by voice vote.
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