The Coalition for the Life Sciences (CLS) would like to thank the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, John Yarmouth, for shepherding the passage of a budget resolution that lifts the sequestration budget caps. By passing HR 2021, the Investing for the People Act of 2019, the House Budget Committee took an important first step forward in lifting the draconian budget caps.
If a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to raise the caps is not passed by Congress and signed by the President, the cuts imposed by the caps would have a devastating impact on the nation’s scientific enterprise. To remain a global leader in accelerating the development of life-changing cures, pioneering treatments, and innovative prevention strategies, it is essential that Congress sustain robust increases in the NIH budget and that cannot happen without an agreement to lift the budget caps.
The caps on domestic discretionary and military spending enacted in the Budget Control Act of 2011 limit the growth of annual spending bills. HR 2021 provides a framework that seeks to provide relief from the caps by lifting funding levels for two years, providing a realistic budgetary framework. This framework would allow Congress to return to a more stable budget process.
The CLS looks forward to continue working with Congress to advance our national investment in scientific research by ensuring the NIH receives the necessary funding to continue its vital lifesaving mission “to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”
