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Letter to Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey - Boost in NIH funding

Letter

By: Suzan DelBene, Dina Titus, Bob Brady, Jim McGovern, Lois Frankel, Rick Larsen, Janice Hahn, Filemon Vela, Jr., Jan Schakowsky, Chellie Pingree, Michelle Lujan Grisham, Scott Peters, Louise Slaughter, John Conyers, Jr., Mike Capuano, Cheri Bustos, Loretta Sanchez, Debbie Dingell, Suzanne Bonamici, Charlie Rangel, Tom Marino, Frank Guinta, Carolyn Maloney, Joaquin Castro, Nydia Velázquez, Brendan Boyle, Eliot Engel, Jim Cooper, Mark Pocan, Tim Walz, Rubén Hinojosa, Sr., Jared Huffman, Kurt Schrader, Mike Thompson, Ann Kirkpatrick, Donna Edwards, Gene Green, Tony Cárdenas, Jim Himes, Peter DeFazio, John Delaney, Jackie Speier, Kathleen Rice, Jared Polis, Ron Kind, John Sarbanes, David Cicilline, Mark Takai, Albio Sires, Bill Keating, Niki Tsongas, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Adam Smith, Rodney Davis, Stephen Lynch, Norma Torres, Stacey Plaskett, Brian Higgins, Doris Matsui, Beto O'Rourke, Dave Loebsack, Barbara Lee, Bob Dold, John Larson, Zoe Lofgren, Sandy Levin, Mark DeSaulnier, Grace Napolitano, Eric Swalwell, Donald Norcross, Mark Takano, Katherine Clark, Gerry Connolly, Raul Grijalva, Annie Kuster, Keith Ellison, Luis Gutiérrez, Chris Gibson, Patrick Murphy, Kathy Castor, Ed Perlmutter, Rick Nolan, Adam Schiff, Steve Cohen, Julia Brownley, Elijah Cummings, Betty McCollum, Brad Ashford, Jim McDermott, Anna Eshoo, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Pete Aguilar, Ben Luján, Jr., Seth Moulton, John Katko, Sheila Jackson Lee, Alan Lowenthal, Pete King, Joe Kennedy III, Don Beyer, Jr., Tammy Duckworth, Jim Langevin, Earl Blumenauer, Mike Fitzpatrick, Maxine Waters, Steve Stivers, Dan Lipinski, Bill Foster, Corrine Brown, Ted Deutch, Juan Vargas, Lois Capps, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Bill Pascrell, Jr., Chaka Fattah, Sr., Lacy Clay, Jr., John Lewis, Elizabeth Esty, Dana Rohrabacher, Linda Sánchez, Gwen Moore, Don Payne, Jr., Paul Tonko, Peter Welch, Bobby Scott, Eddie Johnson, Judy Chu, Frederica Wilson, Denny Heck, Marcia Fudge, John Garamendi, David McKinley, Mike Doyle, Jr., André Carson, Raul Ruiz, Eleanor Norton, Hank Johnson, Jr., David Scott, Matt Salmon, Ted Lieu, Alma Adams, Hakeem Jeffries, John Yarmuth, Susan Brooks
Date: Nov. 18, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care Government Budget and Spending

Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey:

As the House continues crafting appropriations legislation before the current continuing resolution expires on December 11, 2015, we write to express our strong support for increasing the funding provided to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In any forthcoming appropriations legislation for FY 2016, we urge you to work with your colleagues in the Senate to ensure NIH receives an annual funding level of at least $32 billion, equal to the level approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, in order to maintain America's role as a global leader in biomedical research and ground-breaking medical discoveries.

We are concerned that, over the last 12 years, the federal government's contributions toward basic research at NIH have consistently failed to keep pace with inflation. By failing to at least hold NIH funding constant with other rising costs, Congress has allowed the agency's purchasing power to diminish by more than 20 percent since 2003. Indiscriminate budget cuts imposed on the agency during sequestration only further exacerbated this trend, reducing NIH's budget by an additional 5 percent in FY 2013. As the growth in other countries' investments in medical research continues to far outpace those made here in the U.S., it is more critical than ever that we act to reverse this trend.

Insufficient funding for NIH has a serious, wide-ranging impact on our nation's health and our capacity for medical innovation in the 21st century. If we are serious about breaking new ground in our understanding of complex diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer, and if we hope to accelerate the speed with which new cures, treatments and vaccines are developed, then it's absolutely essential that we increase funding for medical research at NIH. Particularly given the significant investments in NIH approved earlier this year by both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, we feel strongly that now is the time to commit to our nation's long-term health and prosperity.

While we understand the difficult fiscal challenges you face, we urge you to prioritize the important role that NIH plays in biomedical research and economic growth by working to fund the agency at an annual level of at least $32 billion. Thank you for your consideration of this request, which will make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of Americans.


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