Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene led a group of more than 100 House colleagues in urging Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to fully restore funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to its pre-sequester level, adjusted for inflation, when the current continuing resolution expires on Dec. 11, 2014. The letter was co-led by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, and is supported by a broad array of research advocacy organizations and biomedical research institutions.
“We know that funding for biomedical research at NIH gives us a great return on investment, supporting medical innovation that saves lives, improves health outcomes and reduces costs,” said DelBene. “It is short-sighted and irresponsible for Congress to continue denying NIH the resources it needs to develop the next generation of cures, treatments, and vaccines. The time to fully restore funding for NIH is now.”
“I’m proud to represent the NIH. It is at the forefront of biomedical research, helping to drive the search for cures and treatments for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease — issues that impact every American family. If we don’t adequately fund these crucial efforts, we do a huge disservice to millions of people across the country,” said Van Hollen. “Congresswoman DelBene has been an invaluable partner in this effort, and we’ll keep working until Congress appropriately prioritizes the key role that NIH plays in both research and economic growth.”
Federal funding for the NIH supports more than 300,000 American jobs at more than 2,500 research institutions across the country. Over the last 10 years, the federal government’s contributions toward basic research at NIH have consistently failed to keep pace with inflation, allowing the agency’s purchasing power to diminish by more than 20 percent since 2003. Budget cuts imposed on the agency during sequestration further exacerbated this trend, reducing NIH’s budget by an additional 5 percent in FY 2013.
