U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced major progress towards his goal of restoring the United States' commitment to breakthrough scientific and biomedical research, reversing a troubling, decades-long downward trend in funding that has threatened America's standing as a leader in discovery and innovation and our global competitiveness. He highlighted the $2 billion increase he was able to secure in the Omnibus Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2016 for the National Institutes of Health, which was based on targeted funding levels set by his American Cures Act, as well as major increases in funding for the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Defense Health Program, and the Veterans Medical & Prosthetics Research Program.
"With the support of robust, sustained federal funding, there is no limit to what science can do to prevent, treat and cure diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. That is why I introduced the American Cures Act--to make sure young researchers and bright scientists have the funding they need to discover the new cures that will change the world," Durbin said. "The increase in funding for breakthrough research included in the omnibus bill is a down payment on that future. If we continue making those investments, we'll see our nation's best and brightest researchers light up the scoreboard."