2008-11-05

ASH has joined with the biomedical research community in urging congressional leaders to include an additional $1.9 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in an economic recovery package that is expected to be considered during a “lame duck” session of Congress this month. This important funding would build upon the $150 million in additional fiscal year FY 2008 funding for NIH that congressional supporters were able to secure earlier this year and would represent an important step towards reversing NIH's current downward funding trend, setting it on a new course.

Congress was not able to complete work on the fiscal year (FY) 2009 spending bills before the end of the 2008 fiscal year on September 30 because the elections shortened the congressional schedule. Consequently, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) that allows the federal government to continue operating at their FY 2008 spending levels through March 6, 2009. The economic recovery package represents, perhaps, the last remaining chance to provide NIH with additional funding before the end of the 2008 calendar year.