Sanders blasted after blocking bipartisan kids' cancer research bill: 'Grinch,' 'selfish'

Bernie Sanders blocks bills to fund kids' cancer research Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., objected to legislation that would have funded pediatric cancer research in a bid to attach funding for community health centers. (Credit: C-SPAN) A bipartisan bill to bolster research for kids’ cancer drugs was quietly killed on the Senate floor last week, the second year in a row the legislation was torpedoed. The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act was primed to pass through a fast-track process with near unanimous support in the Senate on Wednesday, save for one lawmaker who sought to amend the bill: Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. "What's happened right here in front of us? The Grinch is stealing kids' lives, and they're stealing hope from the families, hope from the families that might have an opportunity just to try for a political agenda," said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who brought the bill to the floor. SEN MURPHY WARNS 'PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE' AS CONGRESS PUNTS ON EXPIRING OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blocked bipartisan legislation that would have funded kids' cancer research in a bid to attach funding to the legislation for community health centers. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) "And I hope to God that every single family that's going through this will hold the senator from Vermont accountable, and the state of Vermont will hold him accountable, too, because he's playing with kids' lives," he continued. "He's literally killing kids in front of us because of his political movement, and it is ridiculous." Sanders' move to block the bill was not a surprise. Several lawmakers who spoke in favor of the legislation urged him not to go through with the decision as pediatric cancer research advocates looked on from the viewing gallery. But doing so once again sets the bill back to square one as Congress enters a new year. The Vermont independent explained that he had no problem with the legislation, which would have incentivized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and drug companies to encourage more relevant pediatric studies and invest in rare pediatric disease treatments, but he wanted to tack on an amendment to fund community health centers throughout the country. DEMOCRATS' LAST-MINUTE MOVE TO BLOCK GOP FUNDING PLAN SENDS LAWMAKERS HOME EARLY Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol during the vote-a-rama on President Trump's "big beautiful bill" reconciliation package on June 30, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) "This is not a radical amendment," Sanders said. "I'm not coming here saying, ‘Let's do something we've not talked about.’ I'm not talking about passing Medicare for all here. I am talking about doing what the Republicans and Democrats agreed to a year ago but was torpedoed by some tweets from Elon Musk ." Lawmakers already had a version of the bill teed up for passage last year, attached to the colossal, year-end temporary funding extension produced by the House. But that package was ultimately blown apart...

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