Senate Appropriations Committee Provides NIH with 3.7 Percent Increase in FY 2006

July 14, 2005—The Senate Appropriations Committee approved fiscal year (FY) 2006 appropriations legislation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies earlier today. The bill approved by the Appropriations Committee provides NIH with $29.42 billion in FY 2006, a $1.05 billion or 3.7 percent increase over FY 2005. With the cost of medical inflation expected to be at 3.5 percent in FY 2006, the 3.7 percent approved by the Committee provides a slight increase for next year. The Senate Leadership hopes to move this bill to the floor for a vote later this month.

The NIH funding level approved by the House of Representatives was a disappointment to the medical research community. On June 24, the House approved $28.5 billion for NIH, a $142.3 million or 0.5 percent increase over FY 2005, but $3 million less than the $28.845 billion in President George W. Bush's FY 2006 Budget Request for the agency.

The Senate Appropriations Committee was able to provide more funding for NIH and other discretionary programs because Senate Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Arlen Specter (R-PA) freed up an additional $3.3 billion for discretionary spending through an accounting maneuver by shifting mandatory Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments by a few days from FY 2006 to FY 2007. Senator Specter tried a similar move during the debate on FY 2005 appropriations, but it was ultimately rejected by his House counterparts.

The legislation approved by the Committee includes several other provisions of interest to ASH, such as:

• Sickle Cell Treatment Act (PL 108-357) – The Committee provided $500,000 to continue the implementation of this law in FY 2006. In FY 2005, $200,000 was provided to establish a sickle cell demonstration program and National Coordinating Center.
• Health Professions – The bill includes $454.4 million for Health Professions programs. This amount restores funding to these programs that were eliminated in the President’s Budget.
• Embryo Adoption – The bill provides $2 million for an embryo adoption awareness campaign, an increase of $1 million over the FY 2005 level. This idea has recently received increased public attention by opponents of embryonic stem cell research.

With the appropriations process underway, it is important for ASH members to visit the ASH Advocacy Center right now and send an e-mail to their Senators to strengthen support for NIH funding. It is a very tight year for the entire federal budget and grassroots support for NIH funding is critical. ASH is supporting an NIH budget of at least $30 billion for FY 2006, a 6 percent increase over the FY 2005 level. It is imperative that you send your email as soon as possible; the full Senate could vote on this bill by the end of July.

If you have questions, or need more information, please contact Jeff Coughlin, ASH Government Affairs Manager, at 202-776-0544.