Alexander Sees Floor Vote On Project-Specific NIH Fund As Way To Move Cures Bill

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has a plan to get his medical innovation bill through the Senate despite health committee Republicans' refusal to bend to Democratic demands for mandatory funding of the National Institutes of Health. The health committee chair will send a sidecar NIH bill to the floor that ties mandatory funding to specific projects, and hopes by punting in committee he can gain enough bipartisan floor support to move his innovation package to conference. Alexander said he would support...