government
NIH budget would increase under House bill
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 26, 2010
The House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on health spending on July 15 approved a $32 billion fiscal 2011 budget for the National Institutes of Health, matching President Obama's request for a $1 billion increase over the agency's fiscal 2010 budget.
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, however, recommended that Congress approve a $37 billion NIH budget. FASEB President William T. Talman, MD, said the institutes have spurred an increase in research with the help of stimulus funds. If Congress returns to pre-stimulus budget levels, NIH's research capacity could decrease by 15%, equal to the loss of about 4,000 grants.
"The opportunities for continued progress have never been greater, but we need adequate resources to ensure that progress is not curtailed," Dr. Talman said.
House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D, Wis.) said Congress has limited resources this year. "We can't do everything that might be useful, or everything the president or members of this subcommittee propose."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/07/26/gvbf0726.htm.
