Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. KHANNA. Madam Chair, I have a bipartisan amendment with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez).

Today's amendment adds $3 million to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with the intent to support the Consortium of Food Allergy Research.

This consortium drives vital research necessary to fight innumerable conditions and diseases suffered by millions of Americans. It is foundational to so many of our medical breakthroughs and to our competitive advantage.

Key to one of their missions is food allergies. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans and almost 6 million children. That is nearly 10 percent of the country battling, at some point, with food allergies.

Food allergies do not just consist of sensitivity to certain kinds of food. That is a myth. Many times, they can be life-threatening.

In fact, 40 percent of children with food allergies have experienced a severe reaction, such as anaphylaxis. Each year, more than 200,000 Americans require emergency medical care. A glance through Facebook pages or support pages will detail many sad and scary stories.

This is equivalent to one trip to the emergency room every 3 minutes, and the problem continues to grow.

The prevalence of food allergies has increased by 80 percent in the last two decades, with peanut and tree nut allergies appearing to have more than tripled since the 1990s. We really don't know yet why that is happening.

In 2005, NIH established CoFAR within NIAID to focus on these efforts. In just 14 years, CoFAR has made terrific advances. It discovered genes associated with an increased risk for peanut allergy and identified promising cures for peanut allergy and egg allergy through immunotherapy.

I salute CoFAR's extraordinary staff.

CoFAR's 4-year egg treatment study actually allowed participants to safely reintroduce egg, one of the most common and dangerous allergens for children, into their diet after years of abstention.

CoFAR has achieved all of this on a budget of just $6.1 million. Increasing it $3 million is well worth the investment.

Just think of all the families who could be made better by this. Their fear of sending their children to school or to a neighbor's house or to daycare without knowing the consequences could be alleviated.

We are a long way away still, but I believe we can prevent life- threatening food allergies someday. This amendment brings us closer to that day.

Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).
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Mr. KHANNA. Madam Chair, I would like to recognize the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez) for his leadership, his willingness in his very first term to work across the aisle on this, and his passion for this issue.

I appreciate the leadership of Representative DeLauro, as well, and the staff.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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