Congress Boosts NIH Funding: House Passes FY 2008 Supplemental Containing NIH Funding; House Subcommittee Approves $1.2 Billion Increase for NIH for FY 2009

June 20, 2008 – The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a final version of legislation (H.R. 2642) that provides funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although chiefly a vehicle for war funding, the final fiscal year (FY) 2008 supplemental appropriations bill also includes $150 million in additional FY 2008 funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The original Senate-passed version of the legislation had included $400 million in additional FY 2008 funding for NIH. However, because of a threatened presidential veto, many domestic funding priorities in the bill were either eliminated or scaled back considerably. The $150 million for NIH was the result of intense negotiations between House and Senate leaders, including Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who had successfully sought the inclusion of the additional funding for NIH in the Senate-passed version of the bill. The Senate is expected to consider the bill next week and the Bush Administration has indicated it will support the compromise package.

Additionally, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has approved its version of FY 2009 appropriations legislation for the NIH and other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies. The draft bill approved by the Subcommittee includes a $1.2 billion increase for NIH above the current year’s funding level and the President’s FY 2009 budget request of $29.3 billion for NIH. ASH has supported an increase in funding of $1.9 billion (6.6 percent) for NIH in FY 2009, which would bring the total budget for NIH to $31.1 billion.

In his opening remarks at the Subcommittee markup, House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Obey (D-WI), noted that the increase provide in the Subcommittee’s bill would be the largest increase for NIH in six years and that if President Bush’s requested budget were to take effect, it would "result in 6,000 medical research scientists who will no longer be able to get their medical research funded." A distribution breakdown of funding for Institutes and Centers is not available at this time. More details will become available when the full House Appropriations Committee considers the bill next week.

The bill must still be approved by the full House Appropriations Committee, which is tentatively expected to consider the bill on June 25, and by the full U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the Senate is tentatively scheduled to begin consideration of its version of the bill the week of June 23.

ASH is continuing its advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill throughout the FY 2009 appropriations debate and encourages all members to take action to support increased funding for NIH. Advocacy by the research community is making a difference in securing funding for NIH, and ASH thanks everyone who has participated in the Society’s advocacy efforts.