DeLauro Calls for Increased NIH Funding

Ebola Outbreak Underscores Importance of Investing In Biomedical Research

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), joined by leaders in Connecticut’s biomedical community, today called for more funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Last month DeLauro introduced the Accelerating Biomedical Research Act, which would allow current budget caps to be adjusted for increased NIH investments.

“The spread of Ebola in America is on everyone’s minds right now,” said DeLauro. “It can be contained in nations like America that have a strong public health infrastructure. But we would be in a better position if we had not cut the NIH’s budget over the last four years. Cutting medical research has an incalculable cost, when life-saving discoveries are never made. That is why I introduced the Accelerating Biomedical Research Act, which affirms that biomedical research is an important priority. We have to keep funding the lifesaving research that pushes the frontiers of medical science and keeps Americans healthy.”

Dr. Craig Crews, Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, Arvinas, said: “For the past 17 years, the NIH has generously supported basic science research in my lab, which has served as the basis for the launch of two biotech companies and a FDA-approved anti-cancer drug. While past federal support was been crucial for these successes, I am concerned that decreased NIH support in the past few years is negatively impacting the basic research that is needed now for the discovery of future drugs necessary to address important public health issues such as obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease.”

After adjusting for inflation, the NIH budget has been cut by $3.4 billion (10 percent) over the past four years. Connecticut has been particularly damaged by those cuts, with NIH funding to the state dropping by over seven percent during that time.

The Accelerating Biomedical Research Act would create a new Budget Control Act (BCA) cap adjustment for NIH. Any funding provided over $29.9 billion would trigger a budget cap increase to accommodate the additional funding. The bill would allow appropriations to increase NIH funding by 10 percent for the first two years and five percent each year thereafter. A coalition of over 100 advocacy groups and research institutions support the bill.


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