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Urge Your Senators to Support Funding for NIH in Economic Recovery Package
The U.S. Senate is considering an economic recovery package that includes an additional $1.2 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – this is likely to be the only real possibility to add additional funding for NIH this year. In releasing details of the proposal, Senators Reid and Byrd noted that "even with the $150 million included in the first supplemental bill, NIH funding failed to keep up with biomedical inflation in FY08 for the fifth year in a row, a trend that has discouraged many young scientists from this field and puts the Nation at risk of losing a generation of talented investigators." Senators Reid and Byrd also noted that the additional funding would likely be sufficient to "award at least 3,300 new research project grants." Though the odds are against this legislation, advocacy by the research community can make a difference in securing funding for NIH. It is crucial that you to contact your Senators immediately 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) and the economic recovery package that the Senate will soon consider. This bill contains important funding for the NIH. 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. 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. 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, |
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| Background Information |
Because of a shortened congressional schedule due to the elections, Congress was not able to complete work on the FY 2009 spending bills before the end of the 2008 fiscal year on September 30. On September 24, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a comprehensive spending bill that ensures the federal government will continue to operate into the new fiscal year (FY) that begins on October 1. The continuing resolution (CR) passed by the House will maintain funding for most federal programs and agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), at current levels until March 6, 2009, or when Congress completes actual FY 2009 spending bills, whichever comes first. The Senate is expected to consider and pass the measure in the near future.
In what is perhaps the last remaining chance to provide NIH with additional funding before the end of the 2008 calendar year, Senate leaders have included an additional $1.2 billion in funding for NIH in an economic recovery package that Congress hopes to consider before adjourning for the year. 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.
