During debate on the 2004 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, Congressman Toomey (R-PA) proposed an amendment which would have cut funding for four grants provided by National Institutes of Health. Those four grants all explored areas involving sex. Progressives opposed Toomey's amendment to cut funding for those grants because, while they might at first glance appear to be superfluous areas of health research, Progressives argued that politicizing scientific research will prevent important scientific breakthroughs from occurring in a wide range of potentially politically-charged areas of experimentation. Progressives pointed out that a study on Polish pigs conducted several decades ago-which drew criticism from lawmakers who though the grant was a waste of money-in fact led to the development of a new blood pressure medicine which millions of people depend on today. In the view of Progressives, scientists, and not Congressmen, should be the ones who decide which research proposals are worthy of further exploration. With the help of Progressives, the Toomey amendment was defeated on a close vote of 210-212.