Endocrine Society Rallies for Increased Funding for the National Institutes of Health
Congress is required to determine funding levels for all federal programs and agencies by October 1 when the new fiscal year begins. However, this year Congress is not on track to pass the 12 annual appropriations bills to fund the government by the deadline.
Consequently, it is expected that instead the Congress will resort to passing a stopgap spending bill, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), that will allow the federal government to continue to operate at the previous year’s funding level. It is not clear how long that short-term bill would last before Congress could agree to final spending levels.
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of fiscally conservative Republicans wants to see current spending levels frozen until the next Congress is sworn in, banking on a GOP majority to legislate federal funding. In contrast, Democrats are arguing for a shorter-term CR with a final spending bill passed before the end of this year.
This year, the Hill Day will take place on September 14 with advocates meeting their congressional delegations in Washington, D.C. Together, we will continue to call on Congress to make funding for the NIH a national priority and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research.
The Endocrine Society continues to advocate for a final appropriations bill with increases for the National Institutes of Health. Every September, we join a broad coalition of groups representing the medical research advocacy community in a “Rally for Medical Research” Hill Day to urge members of Congress to make funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a national priority.
This year, the Hill Day will take place on September 14 with advocates meeting their congressional delegations in Washington, D.C. Together, we will continue to call on Congress to make funding for the NIH a national priority and raise awareness about the importance of continued investment in medical research.