2009-10-15

Although federal FY 2010 began on October 1, most of the annual appropriations bills remain unfinished. As a result, Congress was forced to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to continue funding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal programs at current levels through October 31, 2009. President Obama signed the CR into law on October 1.

While congressional leaders made significant progress in advancing their respective versions of bills to fund NIH in FY 2010 prior to adjourning in August for the annual district work period, no further progress has been made on the bills since July. Only the House has completed action on its version of the bill. The Senate bill, which has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee and still awaits approval by the full Senate, would increase the NIH budget by $442 million over FY 2009 levels, bringing the total NIH budget to $30.8 billion. This increase is equal to the President's budget request that was released in May, but $500 million below the level that the House of Representatives has approved.

Grassroots Action Still Needed

With FY 2010 funding for NIH not yet finalized, there is still time to contact Congress to urge support for increases in NIH funding. ASH encourages all members to visit the ASH Advocacy Center to send an e-mail to their elected officials about ensuring adequate NIH funding in FY 2010 and beyond.

ASH will also continue to keep its membership informed about each step in the debate toward the completion of the FY 2010 federal budget, with frequent updates posted on the Society's Web site. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact ASH Research Advocacy Manager Tracy Roades at 202-776-0544 or troades@hematology.org.

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