Outlook for NIH is Bleak, CDC Fares Slightly Better
On December 19, Congress passed an omnibus bill to fund the 11 remaining FY08 appropriations bills, including Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. President Bush signed the bill December 26.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2008 (H.R. 2764) includes an increase of less than 1% for the NIH and a 2.8% budget increase for the CDC. The previous bill (H.R. 3043), vetoed by the president in November, included a 3.1% budget increase for the NIH and 6.6% increase for the CDC. The NIH will receive $760 million less and the CDC will receive $240 million less than in the original bill. Funding for AHRQ will increase modestly from $319 million in 2007 to $335 million in 2008.
Thank you to all advocates who contacted their congressional delegations this year in support of increased funding for NIH, CDC and AHRQ in FY08. Research!America is deeply disappointed in this Administration and its congressional supporters' failure to endorse a stronger commitment to investment in medical and health research. We look forward to working with you in the year ahead to secure strong, sustained funding for NIH, CDC and AHRQ in FY09.
The Campaign for Medical Research, dedicated to increased funding for NIH, issued a statement expressing its disappointment that the administration and its congressional supporters continue to oppose funding increases to restore NIH's purchasing power. In 2008, CMR will focus on persuading Congress and the White House to put NIH on a path to compensate for five years of flat funding.
The Campaign for Public Health, dedicated to increased funding for the CDC, applauded the hard work Congress put into the earlier and more favorable bipartisan LHHS bill that was vetoed by the president. CPH also noted that the CDC could have fared much worse in the revised omnibus bill. The CDC's core program lines were cut by .5% in FY06 and level-funded in FY07. The 2.8% increase in the proposed current bill does not replace desperately needed funding cut in 2006 as the vetoed bill did, but it will help the agency address public health threats facing Americans.