The Coalition for the Life Sciences (CLS) would like to thank the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee for its commitment to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Committee recently proposed an increase of $2 billion for the NIH in its FY2016 Labor-HHS spending bill. This is an important first step necessary to make up for the loss of purchasing power brought about by more than a decade of flat funding or repeated cuts to the overall NIH budget.
The CLS is particularly grateful to Subcommittee Chair Roy Blunt (R-MO) for his leadership in advancing biomedical research. As he wrote in his June 24 op-ed in The Hill, “Now is the time to prioritize biomedical research to increase critical life-saving medical treatments and high-quality cures available to all Americans.” The CLS is encouraged by his recognition that biomedical research is a wise investment and that the money spent on research now will significantly reduce the cost of healthcare in the future.
This proposed increase is the largest the NIH has received since 2003. We are living in a time of unprecedented scientific innovation, and the promise for Americans suffering from serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer has never been greater. However, researchers cannot continue their work and cures will not be possible without sustained federal funding for biomedical research.
We look forward to working with you to further advance the nation’s biomedical research enterprise.
