White House and Its Supporters Again Neglect Medical and Health Research
WASHINGTON—Dec. 20, 2007—"We are deeply disappointed by this Administration and its congressional supporters' failure to endorse a stronger commitment to investment in medical and health research.
"Congress' latest effort to complete FY08 appropriations, the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2008 (H.R. 2764), offers a bleak outlook for our nation's lead agency that funds medical and health research, the National Institutes of Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, charged with protecting the public's health and safety, fares somewhat better.
"The new bill includes an increase of less than 1% for the NIH and a 2.8% budget increase for the CDC. The previous bill, vetoed by the President in November, included a 3.1% budget increase for the NIH and 6.6% increase for the CDC. Under the new bill, the NIH will receive $760 million less and the CDC will receive $240 million less than under the previous one.
"The current bill includes only a modest increase for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, from $319 million in 2007 to $335 million for 2008, in spite of AHRQ's enormously important mission to improve the quality, safety efficiency and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.
"When federal support for health research stalls, we lose length and quality of life to disease and disability, health care costs continue to skyrocket, our economy loses productivity, and America begins to lose its leadership in science and the global economy. It is our hope that the Administration and Congress will recognize that the only way to avoid these consequences is to make a serious commitment to long-term, consistent federal funding for research."
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