IHRF, Ad Hoc Group For Medical Research Urge Congress to prioritize funding NIH in 2012
IHRF, Ad Hoc Group For Medical Research Urge Congress: Prioritize Funding for NIH, Medical Research in 2012
September 2011—The Intracranial Hypertension Research Foundation is among the 214 members of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research— a coalition of patient and voluntary health groups, medical and scientific societies, academic and research organizations— which have strongly urged Congress to prioritize critical funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2012.
In an August 9, 2011 letter from the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research to Representatives Dennis Rehberg and Rosa DeLauro, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, the group asked that NIH be recognized as a critical national priority in the FY 2012 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill. The letter calls attention to the fact that “the foundation of scientific knowledge built through NIH-funded research across the country drives medical innovation that improves health and quality of life.” It also notes the economic benefits of medical research and the importance of progress on previous investments in research, the ability to recruit and train new scientists and researchers; and maintain leadership in global scientific innovation.
The letter can be viewed at:https://www.aamc.org/download/256792/data/groupletteronfy2012nihfundingtohouselabor-hhseducationsubcommit.pdf
On September 2, 2011, IHRF also joined with the Coalition of Health Funding and the Committee for Education, as one of 532 organizations that included disability, public health, medical research, patient advocacy groups and organizations, which sent a letter to the Appropriations Committee to strongly support health, education, children’s and social services as critical national funding priorities for 2012. The letter noted that “additional investment in these domestic programs will boost the economy and reduce the deficit through the prevention of chronic diseases, increased earnings, and reduced expenditures for unemployment and other social service programs.”
A vote on the 2012 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill is expected in the near future.
Update
On September 21, 2011, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved FY 2012 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill by a party line vote of 16 to 14. The bill provides $30.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a decrease of $190 million (0.6 percent) from the FY 2011 level. The committee rejected, 16 to 14, an amendment by Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) that would have restored the $190 million cut. The offset for the amendment was an across-the-board cut of all other programs in the bill.
The bill provides $20 million for the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) at NIH, which activates its authorization. According to a summary released by the committee, “The bill creates the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) as part of a broader restructuring at NIH that also includes the termination of the National Center for Research Resources.”
Meanwhile, the House on September 21 rejected the FY 2012 continuing resolution (H.J.Res. 79), 195 to 230.
(From the American Brain Coalition)