House Subcommittee Passes FY18 Funding Bill That Would Boost NIH Budget
On Thursday, a House Appropriations Subcommittee approved a funding bill that would provide the National Institute of Health (NIH) with a $35.2 billion budget in FY2018, a $1.1 billion increase over FY2017 levels. This increase includes the release of the funds under the 21st Century Cures Act.
Highlights of NIH funding allocated in the Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) bill include the following:
- Alzheimer’s disease research: $1.8 billion, a $400 million increase
- Brain Research through Application of Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative: $336 million, a $76 million increase
- “All of Us” research initiative (formerly the Precision Medicine Initiative): $400 million, an $80 million increase
The LHHS bill also stipulates that NIH should continue to apply provisions relating to “indirect costs” as it did in FY2017 and that none of the funds in the bill can be used to implement a modified approach to these provisions.
Also on Thursday, the full House Appropriations Committee passed a Commerce, Justice, Science bill that would cut funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) in FY2018 to $7.34 billion, a nearly $124 million decrease from FY2017. This figure provides for slightly over $6 billion for “research and related activities” and does not prescribe directorate level funding.
SfN continues to work with its coalition partners on communicating with members of Congress and their staff on the importance of robust funding for biomedical research through key agencies like NIH and NSF. The Society encourages its members to contact their representatives and urge them to reject cuts to biomedical research. SfN members can also join the upcoming webinar How to Engage Your Members of Congress on July 25 at 4 p.m. EDT to learn more about the potential effects of funding cuts and how to effectively advocate for science.
