Sen. Rand Paul is blasting the National Institutes of Health for blaming its lagging research into the Ebola outbreak on
budget cuts, saying the agency's own spending is suspect.
"Have you seen what the NIH spends money on?" Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said at a campaign rally in Virginia for GOP congressional candidates Dave Brat and Ed Gillespie,
The Hill reports.
"Nine-hundred thirty-nine thousand dollars spent to discover whether or not male fruit flies would like to consort with younger female fruit flies," the possible 2016 presidential aspirant said, The Hill reports.
"One hundred seventeen thousand dollars spent to determine if most monkeys are right-handed and like to throw poop with their right hands."
He also charged that the NIH spent $2.4 million for an "Origami condom" – an apparent reference, The Hill reports, to a project to redesign the condom for the 21st century, in part to reduce HIV transmission.
The NIH now spends about $30 billion a year, up from $17 billion in 2000, Paul asserted.
"When they say they don't have enough money with their big cuts, look at the bottom line," Paul said. "No money has been cut in Washington, but it's about time we do cut money in Washington."
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