NIH Research Funding
Issue: In FY'03, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent an estimated $38.4 million on ALS-related research. This research is done primarily through the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
NIH plays the major role in maintaining the preeminence of the United States in biotechnology and provides worldwide leadership in health research and discovery. The ALS Association recognizes that new discoveries and breakthroughs could come from any area of biomedical research and could apply to the primary concern for us- finding effective treatments and eventually a cure for ALS. Therefore, we encourage Congress to focus on NIH as a whole, and particularly NINDS, knowing that a well-funded research enterprise will benefit all of us.
Position: In order to take advantage of the current opportunities in biomedical and rehabilitative research, Congress should increase funding in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget in fiscal year 2005 by 8% for ALS within the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and allow NINDS to coordinate, and collaborate on, ALS research with other appropriate NIH Institutes, particularly the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Key Members:
Senate and House Leadership
Senate Appropriations Committee (Labor/HHS Subcommittee)
House Appropriations Committee (Labor/HHS Subcommittee)
Update from Last Year: On January 22, as part of a massive spending package, Congress approved $27.982 billion for the National Institute of Health (NIH), an increase of $1 billion, or 3.7% over last year's appropriation. However, due to the fact that last year's appropriation included "one-time costs" this year's appropriation actually represents a net 7% increase in funding for medical research. Even though the funding was not increased by the 8-10% that we had initially asked for, the 7% that was appropriated is a great accomplishment considering the bill came dangerously close to death by partisan wrangling amidst loud cries for fiscal restraint during this time of altered priorities due to war. This bill also contains report language that recognizes the work of The ALS Association in the contributions that is has made toward the advancement research for a cure and it encourages further cooperation between the NIH and ALSA.
Action for NIH Research Funding
If you would like to get involved in advocating for the NIH Research Funding issue, please contact ALSA's Advocacy Department, toll free at: 1-877-444-2572 or via e-mail at: advocacy@alsa-national.org. You can also get involved by writing a letter to your Representative.
