As the U.S. government approaches the new fiscal year (FY), beginning October 1, ongoing congressional battles over the budget are causing a great deal of uncertainty regarding the funding outlook for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies and programs in FY 2018.
In August, Congress left for their summer recess without passing an appropriations bill to fund the NIH. As legislators return to Washington D.C., they have only 12 working days to come to an agreement on appropriations bills, a deal to raise the debt limit, and a deal to increase the budget caps. This convergence of factors raises the likelihood of at least a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the government running while legislators finalized spending bills for the next fiscal year.
On September 14, members of the Endocrine Society will join over 300 organizations in Washington D.C. to visit members of Congress and advocate for increased funding for biomedical research as part of the Rally for Medical Research.
While a CR would “keep the lights on,” the NIH budget would essentially be flat, and the NIH and other agencies would be prevented from starting important new research projects. Moreover, there is also the possibility that the CR would extend for a longer period of time, or perhaps even the entire year. A long-term CR would fail to provide necessary increases in the NIH budget and result in further erosion of overall grant success rates for researchers. This outcome is unacceptable to the Endocrine Society and we are implementing high-impact advocacy initiatives that will increase pressure on the Congress. Our goal is to ensure that they complete the necessary work and provide adequate research funding that will result in more funded investigator-initiated research projects.
On September 14, members of the Endocrine Society will join over 300 organizations in Washington D.C. to visit members of Congress and advocate for increased funding for biomedical research as part of the Rally for Medical Research. Five members of the Society from key districts will participate in the rally and discuss the importance of endocrine research. We extend our sincere appreciation to Heather Patisaul, PhD, Cynthia Stuenkel, MD, Benson Tokunbo Akingbemi, PhD, DVM, T. Rajendra Kumar, PhD, MSC, and Lindsey Trevino, PhD, for traveling to D.C. and ensuring that their representatives understand the importance of endocrine research and the need to provide steady, sustainable increases in funding for the NIH.
Only a robust response from the research community will ensure that legislators provide the NIH with the funds that the biomedical research enterprise desperately needs.
However, we need all our members to add their voices so that Congress appreciates that inaction would hurt biomedical research and prevent our members from conducting lifesaving research. To join your colleagues and make a difference, we have implemented a special advocacy campaign on the Society’s new advocacy webpage. Please spend a minute (yes, that is all it takes) to complete the online form and send a letter to your representatives. Our program provides the letter for you and will direct it to the correct congressional offices.
Only a robust response from the research community will ensure that legislators provide the NIH with the funds that the biomedical research enterprise desperately needs.
Loading ...