Congress Reaches Pact on
FY 2003 Spending
February 14, 2003 - House and Senate leaders Feb.
12 reportedly reached agreement on an omnibus $397.4 billion
spending package (H.
J. Res. 2) for FY 2003 that encompasses the 11 unfinished
appropriations bills. Most programs will be subject to an
across-the-board cut of 0.65 percent. The bill completes the
doubling of the NIH budget, restores cuts to the Title VII
Health Professions programs, and provides increased Medicare
payments to physicians and rural hospitals (see
related story). Both the House and Senate approved the
omnibus bill on Feb. 13 by votes of 338-83 and 76-20, respectively.
Within the Labor-HHS
portion of the bill, the omnibus package includes $27.3 billion
for the NIH, an increase of $3.8 billion (16.2 percent) over
FY 2002, which completes the five-year effort to double the
agency's budget. While few details are available, documents
from the House Rules Committee Web site indicate that extramural
construction is appropriated $120 million in the bill.
The omnibus bill provides $424 million (9.3 percent increase)
for the Title VII and VIII health professions and nursing
programs, including funding for portions of the new Nurse
Reinvestment Act. The Title VII health professions programs
are allotted $310.5 million, a $15.3 million (5.2 percent)
increase. The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is appropriated
$172.2 million, an increase of $26.8 million (15.6 percent).
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) receives
$303.7 million in FY 2003, a $2.4 million (1 percent) increase
over last year's level. This includes $55 million directed
to research on reducing medical errors. The Children's Hospital
GME programs received $292 million in the final bill, a $7
million (2.5 percent) increase over FY 2002. The Community
Access Program (CAP) is allotted $120 million, level with
last year.
VA Medical Care is appropriated $23.9 billion under the omnibus
package, an increase of $2.5 billion (11.3 percent) over FY
2002. VA Medical Care was one of only four programs exempted
from the across-the-board cut. Also within the VA-HUD appropriations
bill, the National Science Foundation was appropriated $5.3
billion, an increase of $536 million (11.2 percent).
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Associate Vice President
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Jonathan Fishburn, Director, Research, Education and Veterans' Legislative Affairs
AAMC Office of Governmental Relations
jfishburn@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
Erica Froyd, Director, Public Health and Research Legislative Affairs
AAMC Office of Governmental Relations
efroyd@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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