Damaging consequences of potential spending cuts to medical research

The report "Sequestration: Health Research at the Breaking Point," released today by Research!America, demonstrates the damaging consequences of potential automatic spending cuts, or sequestration, to the nation's medical research enterprise and public health, and offers examples on how these cuts would delay scientific discoveries that could lead to new treatments and cures for deadly diseases.

This report provides:

• The estimated budget cuts to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Science Foundation;
• Statements and testimonials from the leaders of these federal health agencies, as well as the patient community, academia and industry;
• Compelling budget comparisons to help illustrate the magnitude of these cuts;
• Charts illustrating the impact on NIH and NSF grants to research institutions, academic medical centers and small businesses throughout the country;
• Charts depicting the inevitable fiscal consequences of delaying research aimed at combating disabling and deadly diseases.

"We can't afford to hamstring our nation's research enterprise at the expense of new businesses, new jobs, and most importantly, new medical advances that save American lives," said Research!America president and CEO Mary Woolley. "Research and development is the backbone of a healthier, more productive nation and a stronger, more globally competitive economy. Across-the-board cuts would severely impede medical progress and economic growth."