Tell Congress How Cuts To NIH Will Harm Life-Saving Research
Congress needs to hear from patients and patient advocacy groups about funding for medical research. Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) remains in serious jeopardy. NIH’s inflation-adjusted budget today is almost 20 percent lower today than in FY2003. In addition, because Congress was unable to reach agreement on how to reduce the deficit by March 1, 2013, President Obama issued the order implementing the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts known as "sequestration." Under sequestration, the NIH budget will be cut by $1.6 billion over the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2013. While the impact of these cuts may not be felt all at once or immediately, the harm caused to life-saving biomedical research will be devastating.
It is critical that all Representatives and Senators hear from patients about the impact that inadequate funding has on the development of cures and treatments for serious diseases and the need for them to take a balanced approach to reducing the deficit that doesn’t further cut NIH and other core federal programs.
Take Action: Send a personalized letter to your Members of Congress today at ASH's Advocacy Center.
