Lawmakers of both parties are paying tribute to former Rep. John E. Porter, an Illinois Republican and Appropriations “cardinal” who died Friday at the age of 87.
As chairman of the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Porter led a push to double funding for the National Institutes of Health — setting a standard that appropriators of both parties have sought to emulate. He represented the 10th District of Illinois from 1980 until January 2001, when he retired.
