September Is a Month of Action for NIH Advocacy

With the current fiscal year (FY) about to expire on September 30, time is running out for the Congress to complete work on spending bills to fund the government, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the next fiscal year.

When this issue of Endocrine News went to press, the Senate was scheduled to vote on a combined Labor, Health, and Human Services and Department of Defense (LHHS/DoD) funding package that would tie public health funding, including the NIH, together with funding for defense priorities. The Senate bill would increase funding for the NIH by $2 billion, consistent with the Endocrine Society’s request and improving upon the $1.25 billion increase proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Although significant progress has been made by both chambers towards a final LHHS bill, bicameral negotiations will still be necessary to arrive at a final appropriations package before September 30. Unless the bill is completed by that date and signed into law, a continuing resolution (CR) will be required to keep the government open, but only at current-year funding levels.

While a CR would allow the government to function, it causes delays in awarding grants and uncertainty for biomedical researchers who rely on NIH grants to conduct life-saving research. A short-term CR also runs the risk of becoming a series of CRs or even a full-year CR as momentum slows and attention turns to the mid-term elections or other legislative priorities. It is therefore critical that legislators continue to hear from researchers in the remaining days of September about the need to complete work on the LHHS appropriations bill and increase funding for the NIH to the Endocrine Society’s recommended level of $39.3 billion in FY 2019.

Take Action: In recent weeks, Endocrine Society members have been calling, writing, and visiting their representatives in Congress to ensure that proposed funding increases for the NIH become a reality. To ensure your voice is heard and has the greatest effect we urge all members of the Society to contact their elected representatives with the easy to use resources on the Society’s website by September 30.