Obama Administration Boosts NIH Funding in FY 2011 Budget Proposal

February 7, 2010

On February 1, 2010, the Obama Administration released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2011, including a boost of $1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This budget implements the President’s pledge to impose an overall freeze in domestic discretionary, eliminating or cutting certain programs to permit increases for others.

In its press release announcing its budget proposal, the Department of Health and Human Services HHS) said that the $1 billion increase in NIH funding, to a total of $32.2 billion, will support innovative basic and clinical research projects. According to HHS, “This effort will be guided by NIH’s five areas of exceptional research opportunities: supporting genomics and other high throughput technologies; translating basic science into (more...)

Posted in Brain Tumor Research, General News, Spending Bills

Congress Returns to Work After Long Summer Recess

September 13, 2008

The United States Congress returned to session on September 8, 2008, after a lengthy summer recess that included both the Democratic and Republican conventions. At the top of the agenda for Congress is passage of spending bills for fiscal year 2009, which begins on October 1, 2008.

Congress is almost certain to pass a stop-gap spending bill that would fund most functions of the federal government, including health and education programs and activities. This must be done before September 26, when Congress is currently slated to adjourn. However, the term of the stop-gap bill is uncertain. The bill may last until early in 2009, when the 111th Congress would have to complete the work on (more...)

Posted in General News, Spending Bills

Senate Approves Budget Adjustment for NIH; First Step in Long Battle to Boost NIH Funding

March 18, 2008

On March 13, the United States Senate, by an overwhelming vote of 95 to 4, approved an amendment to the budget resolution offered by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA). The Specter-Harkin amendment added $2.1 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the Senate version of the budget resolution. This amount is in addition to the $900 million already recommended for NIH by the Senate Budget Committee. As a result of this positive Senate action, the NIH budget could be boosted by as much as $3 billion, or more than 10 percent, over FY 2008 levels.

This action is only the first step in a long budget and appropriations (more...)

Posted in Advocacy Positions, General News, Spending Bills

NABTC Urges Boost in FY 2009 Health Budget

February 26, 2008

NABTC joined more than 400 health organizations in a February 19, 2008, letter that urges Congress to provide an additional $5.3 billion in the fiscal year 2009 budget in order to meet pressing health care needs. The recommended increase in the budget would permit additional resources to be directed to the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research and would address other vital health care needs. The letter, developed with the leadership of the Coalition for Health Funding, strongly recommends that Congress address shortfalls in health care funding by making important health care programs a priority in the budget. Even if Congress follows the recommendation of the health community, this would be only the first step in (more...)

Posted in Advocacy Positions, Spending Bills

Scientists Release NIH Recommendation for FY 2009

February 1, 2008

On January 29, 2008, the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) released its annual report to Congress that includes recommendations for funding for six agencies, including the National Institutes of Health. This recommendation has significant influence on the recommendations and advocacy positions of other research foundations and advocacy organizations. For fiscal year 2009, FASEB recommends that NIH be funded at $31.2 billion, an increase of 6.7 percent over FY 2008. The entire FASEB report can be found at http://opa.faseb.org/pdf/2008/FedFund09.pdf.

Posted in Spending Bills