April 6, 2001
Senate Proposes Boost In NIH Funding
At press time, the Senate is continuing consideration of its FY 2002 budget resolution. On April 4, by a vote of 96 of 4, the Senate passed an amendment by Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to add $700 million to discretionary health spending (budget function 550) to provide for a total increase of $3.4 billion for the National Institutes of Health in FY 2002. The Bush Administration has proposed a $2.75 billion increase for NIH.
The increase in discretionary health spending is off- set by a $700 million decrease in budget function 920, which covers allowances and administrative costs.
Senators voting against the amendment were Christopher Bond (R-Mo.), Robert Smith (R-N.H.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.). Senator Bond noted that he voted against the amendment "not because I oppose the valuable research that NIH does, but rather because I wanted to draw attention to the fact that we risk focusing on NIH spending to the exclusion of other important initiatives…. [W]e must recognize we have other priorities as well." He cited the National Science Foundation, community health centers, and children's hospitals as areas also deserving increased funding.
Information: Dave Moore or Jonathan Fishburn, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.
