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Contact Your Elected Officials to Increase Federal Funding for NIH Research
Congress is not planning on completing its work on Fiscal Year 2009 funding legislation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) because of the shortened congressional schedule due to the November elections. Instead, Members of Congress are currently drafting a Continuing Resolution (CR), which will continue NIH funding at this year's level through early FY 2009. Providing only this year's funding through the first quarter of 2009 will be detrimental to the NIH. It is critical that the hightest funding level for NIH prevail in the funding legislation. Please take a moment to send the e-mail below to your Senators and Representative urging them to support the highest possible funding in the CR. If you have questions, please contact ASH Research Advocacy Manager Tracy Roades at 202-776-0544 or troades@hematology.org.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , As a hematologist interested in research on blood disorders, I write to urge your support for research conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by supporting the highest funding level for NIH as Congress develops a CR. NIH-sponsored research leads to cures, saves lives and fuels our economy. However, in the five years through 2008, a series of nominal increases and cuts has amounted to flat funding for NIH, and NIH has lost approximately 11% in purchasing power due to inflation. Unless NIH is adequately funded, it will be extremely difficult for hematologists and other health professionals to create research advances and improve the health of all Americans. for hematology, sub-inflationary funding increases at NIH will effectively freeze research resources into cures and treatments for millions of Americans with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma; bleeding disorders such as hemophilia; clotting problems such as thrombosis; and, genetic disorders such as sickle cell disease, and Cooley's anemia, among others. Hematology research offers enormous promise to better understand, prevent, treat, and cure a number of blood-related and other conditions. Adequate funding for NIH is crucial to advancing groundbreaking basic, clinical, and translational research. It is critical that our country make this a priority. I appreciate your support. Please contact me if I can provide additional information to you.
Sincerely, |
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| Background Information |
President Bush released his FY 2009 budget proposal, which includes funding for the NIH, earlier this year. The proposed budget would cut billions of dollars from federal health programs and eliminate scores of programs in order to make his first-term tax cuts permanent.
The Administration's proposal would provide $29.3 billion for NIH in FY 2009, which represents the sixth consecutive year that the NIH budget has failed to keep pace with biomedical inflation. In the five years through 2008, a series of nominal increases and cuts has amounted to flat funding for NIH, and the NIH has lost approximately 11% in purchasing power due to inflation.
House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees approved spending bills earlier this summer with slight increases for NIH above the current year's funding level and President Bush's FY 2009 budget.
However, because of a shortened Congressional schedule due to the elections, Congress is not expected to complete working on these bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Instead, Conggress is expected to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) which will continue FY 2008 funding through the first part of FY 2009. Continuing with the FY 2008 funding levels in FY 2009 will be detrimental to the NIH. It is important that Congress considers the Subcommittees' approved funding levels as they draft the CR. It is critical that the highest funding level for NIH prevail in any final funding package.
