A great deal of the nation's biomedical research is done at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 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.

Congress completed the doubling of the NIH budget in 2003, only to then provide minimal increases that have not kept up with inflation over the last five years.  This inadequate and unpredictable funding has jeopardized the agency's ability to sustain the momentum of discovery.  Consequently, good grants cannot get funded and research opportunities are lost.  Congress is now working on a funding bill and has the opportunity to increase the amount of money that goes to the NIH.  As seen in the past, Congress will act if they hear from constituents about the importance of biomedical research.