American Society of Hematology

House and Senate negotiators are working to draft a final version of legislation to provide funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Senate-passed version of the legislation also includes additional fiscal year (FY) funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Although chiefly a vehicle for war funding, the final FY 2008 supplemental appropriations bill will also likely include significant funding for a number of domestic priorities, including NIH. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, successfully sought the inclusion of an additional $400 million in FY 2008 funding for NIH in the Senate-passed version of the bill. According to Senator Harkin, this funding would allow for approximately 700 additional research grants this year.

However, because the House-passed version of the bill does not currently contain any similar funding for NIH, it is important for you to contact your Senators and Representative to ensure the final bill contains this important funding.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

As a hematologist interested in research on blood disorders, I write to urge your support of the provisions for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contained in the Senate version of the supplemental appropriations bill.

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. Inadequate funding for NIH hinders the Institutes' ability to sustain the momentum of discovery. Unless NIH is adequately funded, it will be extremely difficult for hematologists and other health professionals to train promising researchers, 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.

The additional FY 2008 funding for NIH contained in the Senate version of the supplemental appropriations bill is crucial to advancing groundbreaking basic, clinical, and translational research. Please support funding for NIH as the bill is negotiated in the House.

Thank you for your interest in this issue and I appreciate your support. Please contact me if I can provide additional information to you.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 04, 2008