Will President Bush Renew His Commitment to Medical and Health Research?
WASHINGTON—January 24, 2008—Research!America's president and CEO, Mary Woolley, says President Bush has a chance in his final State of the Union speech to reclaim investment in medical and health research as part of his legacy:
"In his State of the Union speech and 2009 budget proposal, the President has a chance to show leadership by calling for a renewed commitment to medical and health research. Early in his first term he recommended budgets that strengthened research through the National Institutes of Health. However, since then, he has proposed budgets that undercut decades of sustained investment in research which has drastically reduced early deaths from heart disease and stroke and even reduced cancer deaths. In his final State of the Union speech, he can show the nation a renewed commitment to this vital public priority.
"The President has called for a growth package, worth about $145 billion, to give the economy a short-term boost. An increase for research funding should be an integral part of our longer-term growth package. Research ensures our ability to compete in the global marketplace and helps fuel local economies all over the country. Yet for five years, the federal research budget has been flat. When federal funding for research stalls, private research spending ultimately stalls, too, resulting in a downward spiral that costs lives, costs jobs, and deters smart young people from choosing careers in science. We must reverse the current trend."
Research!America is the nation's largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by more than 500 member organizations that represent the voices of 125 million Americans.
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