AADR praises Obama's commitment to maintain biomedical research funds

During the April 5 White House Press Briefing, President Barack Obama articulated that his administration is willing to work with leaders in Congress from both political parties in order to avoid a government shutdown later this week. The President stated that he has matched the initial House of Representatives' proposal to make $73 billion in cuts for FY11, with differences existing only in areas of priority. He expressed that neither side would have 100% of its budget objectives realized, due to the basic nature of the negotiation process, citing his own party's displeasure with many proposed cuts that the administration is now open to accepting. However, he revealed some priority areas that would be essential to any agreement that he accepts.

According to the President, "From the outset, my goal has been to significantly cut our domestic spending, but at the same time make sure we're making key investments in things like education, infrastructure, and innovation, the things that are going to help us win the future. And, over the last several months, we have identified areas where we can make substantial cuts. In fact, what we've been able to do is to present to the House Republicans a budget framework that would cut the same amount of spending as Speaker Boehner and Chairman Rogers originally proposed." In response to a reporter's question on the status of the budget negotiations, the President conveyed a belief that his administration is meeting the House leadership half-way. He went on to state, "But what we're not willing to do is go out and say that- we're going to cut medical research. We're not going to cut those things that are absolutely vital to the American economy."

The American Association for Dental Research (AADR) applauds the President's commitment to maintain funding for research during the tough budget environment that now exists. Biomedical research is critical to the quality of life experienced by the American public and to saving lives, but also to the growth of the American economy and long-term deficit reduction.

According to AADR President Dr. Jeffrey Ebersole, "Biomedical research has a history of bipartisan support, because policymakers have long recognized that investments today are more than recouped and necessary for continued innovation."