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NIH Director Testifies About Future of Institutes as Congress Struggles With FY 2011 Funding Process

2010-06-17

Although the House and Senate have yet to finalize a fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget resolution (the budgetary blueprint for each appropriations subcommittee to use as a guideline in drafting their respective funding bills this year), congressional leaders are continuing to work toward ensuring that budgetary guidelines are in place in the near future in order to allow House and Senate appropriators to begin formal work on all 12 of the annual spending bills.

In February, President Obama released his FY 2011 budget proposal, which called for $32 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $1 billion increase over the final FY 2010 funding levels that were enacted in December of last year. ASH, along with the biomedical research community, continues to advocate for $35 billion for NIH in FY 2011 to help ensure that NIH does not face a funding crisis when a two-year allotment of $10.4 billion in stimulus funding for research expires.

Meanwhile, NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins, testified before a House subcommittee on June 15 about NIH’s research activities and priorities. Much of Dr. Collin’s testimony focused on the five key themes he has highlighted since becoming NIH Director in August 2009: taking greater advantage of high-throughput technologies; accelerating translational science; helping to reinvent health care; focusing more on global health; and reinvigorating the biomedical research community. Dr. Collin’s testimony also echoed many of the issues he addressed in his testimony before House and Senate appropriations subcommittees earlier this spring, including the need for sustained funding for NIH and the impact NIH-funded research has upon the nation’s economy.

ASH will continue its advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill during the FY 2011 budget debate and encourages all members to visit the ASH Advocacy Center to take action to help influence the budget process and support increased funding for NIH. Your senators and representatives need to hear from you about ensuring adequate NIH funding in FY 2011.