We Did It! More Money for Research

There is great news for the research community this week, as two actions by Congress set the stage for increased research funding. The letters and calls that people like you made certainly had an impact.

Here is what happened. The Supplemental Appropriations Bill for the current year (FY2008) contained $400 million for research, including $150 million for NIH and $62.5 million each for NSF, NASA and DOE Office of Science. While these numbers are not huge in comparison to the total agency budgets, they represent a major affirmation of the importance of our nation's investment in research. This may be the only funding bill passed before the elections. As a statement of priorities, the significance of this legislation cannot be underestimated.

In the House of Representative, the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee presented a bill for the coming fiscal year (FY2009) that increases funding for NIH by $1.2 billion (4.1%). While this is only the first step in a long and potentially contentious process, it is a great start and sets a very strong benchmark for future action.

Please take a few minutes and send a thank you letter to David Obey, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a key player in both of these funding decisions. Let him know how much you appreciate his support for research. If you made calls or sent letters in the past, we appreciate your support. Stay tuned, we will need your help again in the months ahead

Sincerely,
Robert Palazzo

 
FASEB is composed of 21 societies with more than 80,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. FASEB's mission is to enhance the ability of biomedical and life scientists to improve-through their research-the health, well-being and productivity of all people. FASEB serves the interests of these scientists in those areas related to public policy, facilitates coalition activities among Member Societies and disseminates information on biological research through scientific conferences and publications.