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Update from ATS about NIH funding progress

This is an update about this year's work to lobby for the NIH budget. It comes from the American Thoracic Society's newsletter.


House Panel Approves 3.2% Funding Increase for NIH

Late yesterday, the Labor-Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Rep. Obey (D-WI), approved the 2011 health research and services spending bill known as the Labor-HHS-ED bill. The legislation passed by the subcommittee includes a $1 billion, or 3.2 percent funding increase over current funding for the NIH in 2011. However, this increase is based on the FY2010 appropriation only and does not include the additional $6 billion NIH received through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in 2010, so this funding level actually represents a decline in spending power for NIH.

Chairman Obey's statement states that the bill "puts the emphasis on translating basic research results into practice and available cures and treatments." Included in the bill is $50 million in funding for NIH's Cures Acceleration Network, a new initiative passed as part of healthcare reform. The Cures Acceleration Network is based in the NIH Director's office and is aimed at speeding the development of high need disease treatments and cures.

The 2011 Labor-HHS-ED bill also includes funding for the CDC. The bill passed the subcommittee includes a minor funding increase of $32 million for the CDC in 2011. The President's budget had proposed a cut of almost 2 percent to CDC's budget. The ATS Washington Office will be getting more information about specific NIH and CDC programs within the next few days, which we will pass on to you. The next step for the 2011 Labor-HHS-ED bill is full committee consideration, which could come within the next two weeks, and similar action in the Senate. The Senate Labor-HHS-ED Subcommittee is expected to consider its bill next week.

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