WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 25, 2017) – Today, Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) testified before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education about her son Cole and the tremendous potential that research on Down syndrome can bring to millions of Americans. As the Congresswoman explained to the committee, this research isn’t just about Down syndrome, instead, it can help answer many questions about a variety of diseases and other irregularities within the human genome. In case you missed it, you can watch the Congresswoman’s testimony here:

Note: Funding for Down syndrome research makes up just one-hundredth of a percent of the budget at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This research can unlock the answers to many other questions about some very common health challenges. Consider this:

• 50% of babies with Down syndrome are born with congenital health defects although there’s no case of someone with Down syndrome suffering from a heart attack.

• Children with Down syndrome have a higher likelihood of developing juvenile leukemia although those with Down syndrome do not have solid tumor cancers.

• Thanks to improved medical care, there has been a dramatic increase in life expectancy among those with Down syndrome, however, almost every individual develops Alzheimer’s or dementia.

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