As I mentioned last week, the FY08 emergency supplemental appropriations bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. Included in the bill was an additional $150 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The package will now be sent to the Senate where it is expected to be greeted with similar support. It is also important to note that White House Budget Director Jim Nussle went on record last Thursday to express the administration’s approval of the final package.
Stay tuned…
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
“Since FY 2003, NIH and NCI have received flat funding or been cut. Research progress has been significantly hindered, and NIH and NCI have been forced to make painful cuts to ongoing research projects, including the delay and scaling back of clinical trials and research for currently under-researched and deadly cancers such as cancers of the colon and rectum, pancreas, lung, ovarian, and brain. The additional $400 million would be an infusion of support for institutions across the country, supporting as many as 700 new research grants.”
On Wednesday, June 4, One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting that the House retain the $400 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that was included in the Senate’s version of the supplemental appropriations bill (HR 2642).
As a member of OVAC, C3 is urging everyone to contact their Member of Congress and ask them to support HR 2642. Click here to find your elected official’s contact information.
Today, the Senate passed the FY 2008 supplemental appropriations bill for military operations abroad by a vote of 70 to 26. The Senate also passed a separate bill which provides supplemental funding in FY 2008 for domestic programs by a vote of 75 to 22. This bill includes $400 million for NIH and $275 million for the FDA. The two bills will be combined before any further activity takes place.
The House’s current FY 2008 supplemental appropriations bill does not include the emphasis on domestic programs. This is due largely to the fact that the White House has stated it will veto any supplemental funding legislation that doesn’t focus exclusively on military spending. The House and Senate will have to negotiate a final, compromised package to send to the White House after the Memorial Day recess.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations is scheduled to take up the FY 2008 supplemental appropriations bill this Thursday afternoon, May 15th. The committee intends to include $400 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in this spending package. If successful, the committee would provide the National Cancer Institute with up to an additional $65 million on top of the $4.8 billion already appropriated in FY 2008. The inclusion of these funds in a supplemental funding bill is extremely rare and illustrates the strength of support that cancer research has in Congress.
The funds for NIH are being added as part of a larger spending package for key domestic priorities. The full Senate is expected to consider the bill sometime the week of May 19th. Because the President is opposed to the domestic spending, it is likely that the bill will be challenged by his supporters in the Senate requiring a 60 vote majority to pass the Senate.
I have provided a list of 15 Senators whose votes will be critical to increase funding for NIH. These Senators should be asked to support the domestic spending package and the NIH funding within it.
Together we are Strong
