FASEB urges LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee to increase NIH budget to $37 billion

FASEB President William T. Talman, M.D. today sent a letter to the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee urging that the budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) be $37 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2011. "The opportunities for continued progress have never been greater, but we need adequate resources to ensure that progress is not curtailed," Talman stated. The letter noted that in 2009, supplemental appropriations from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) restored purchasing power at NIH and resulted in an extraordinary response from the scientific community. Thousands of promising new studies are now underway and open more opportunities for the cures, treatments, improved diagnostics, and prevention strategies of the future. The FASEB President warned that "if we return in FY 2011 to pre-ARRA levels, we could diminish NIH's research capacity by more than 15 percent in constant, inflation-adjusted dollars, translating to a loss of nearly 4,000 grants."

In addition, FASEB issued an e-action alert to all members of FASEB societies asking them to email their Representatives in support of the $37 billion funding recommendation for NIH. It is anticipated that the House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee could mark-up the FY 2011 funding bill next week and provide the starting point for Congressional discussion of the NIH budget. "I took office as President of FASEB fully aware of the need for effective, coordinated action," said Talman. "I am committed to working closely with FASEB societies to let Congress know that it is important to position NIH along a path of sustainable, predictable growth and am confident that the researchers and scientists we represent will actively support this effort as we work together as a federation toward this common goal."