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Urge Senate to Support Economic Recovery Package Containing NIH Funding
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) have introduced a $100.3 billion economic recovery package that includes $1 billion for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2009. ASH had joined with the biomedical research community in urging congressional leaders to include an additional $1.9 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in any economic recovery package considered by Congress this year. This important funding – which represents, perhaps, the last remaining chance to provide NIH with additional funding before the end of the 2008 calendar year – would build upon the $150 million in additional fiscal year FY 2008 funding for NIH that congressional supporters were able to secure earlier this year and would represent an important step towards reversing NIH's current downward funding trend. Advocacy can make a difference in securing this important funding for NIH. It is crucial that you to contact your Senators and urge their support for this bill containing additional funding for NIH.
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 voting in favor of the the economic recovery package containing important funding for the NIH that the Senate may soon consider. NIH-sponsored research leads to cures, saves lives and fuels our economy. The medical schools, teaching hospitals, universities, and research institutes where this research takes place are among the largest employers in their respective communities. 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 14% in purchasing power due to inflation. 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. 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. The additional funding for NIH contained in the economic recovery package is crucial to advancing groundbreaking basic, clinical, and translational research, as well as contributing to the economic health of our nation by creating jobs and increasing the output of goods and services. 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: |
| Background Information |
Because of a shortened congressional schedule due to the elections, Congress was not able to complete work on the fiscal year (FY) 2009 spending bills before the end of the 2008 fiscal year on September 30. Consequently, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that allows the federal government to continue operating at their FY 2008 spending levels through March 6, 2009. In March, it will be up to the new Congress and administration to resolve funding issues and develop a funding measure for the rest of the 2009 fiscal year, in addition to beginning work on funding bills for FY 2010.
In what is perhaps the last remaining chance to provide NIH with additional funding before the end of the 2008 calendar year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) have introduced a $100.3 billion economic recovery package that includes $1 billion for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2009. This important funding would build upon the $150 million in additional fiscal year FY 2008 funding for NIH that congressional supporters were able to secure earlier this year and would represent an important step towards reversing NIH's current downward funding trend and setting it on a new course by providing enough funding for an estimated 5,000 addition research grants.
