Amendment to Increase NIH Funding Defeated; Concerns Mount over Future Research Funding Increases
On September 10, the Senate unanimously approved its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2004 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Bill (HR 2660). The NIH funding level specified in the Senate bill is similar to the level in the House-passed version, which falls far short of ASH’s recommendations.
Just before final passage of the bill, the Senate defeated an amendment offered by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to provide a $1.5 billion increase in NIH funds. The amendment received 53 votes, but was 7 votes shy of the 60 needed for passage. As a result, the Senate bill includes a $1 billion increase over FY 2003, slightly above the amount in the House version of the bill and requested by the Bush Administration.
NIH Funding
| FY 2003 funding level |
$27 billion |
| Senate Approved FY 2004 funding level |
$28 billion |
| President’s FY 2004 request |
$27.7 billion |
| House Approved FY 2004 funding level |
$27.7 billion |
| ASH FY 2004 recommendation |
$30 billion |
ASH had joined with others in the NIH advocacy community to urge support of the Specter-Harkin-Feinstein proposal. Efforts included full-page newspaper ads, op-ed letters from noted researchers, and many letters from our grassroots network urging Senators to support the funding increase. ASH had originally advocated for an increase of 10 percent over last year’s funding level to maintain the momentum of discovery enabled by a five-year ramp-up in funding that ended this year. NIH proponents, including ASH, worry about the effect smaller funding increases will have on NIH supported research and scientists. There are even more concerns about how Congress will find the funds to build on another Administration proposal in the 2-3 percent range rumored to be in the offing for FY 2005.
More disputes have erupted between the House and Senate over not only NIH funding levels, but also over several unrelated provisions, including special education and overtime pay. Consequently, Congress is expected to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government running through October 31. The CR is needed because none of the 13 annual appropriations bills was likely to be enacted before October 1 – the official start of the federal fiscal year.
ASH will continue to monitor the progress of the appropriations bills and provide updates to the membership on this site.
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