Washington, D.C., November 13, 2007 - Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), issued the following statement in response to President Bush's veto today of the fiscal year 2008 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill:

"The AAMC is deeply disappointed in the president's decision to veto the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. The bipartisan conference agreement on this bill provides much needed funding for medical research and health professions education, both of which are crucial to sustaining the health of all Americans.

Congress's longstanding, bipartisan commitment to invest in medical research has transformed the practice of medicine and advanced the quality of life. Unfortunately, for the last four years, funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has failed to keep pace with biomedical inflation, threatening to derail the momentum of research progress. The conference agreement's proposal of $30 billion for the NIH is a critical step toward stabilizing this investment.

This legislation also provides $212 million for Title VII health professions programs, which enhance the supply, diversity, and distribution of the health professions workforce, and are the only federal programs designed to train providers who can meet the needs of special and underserved populations. In 2006, many Title VII programs were drastically cut by more than 50 percent and were forced to close. The funding level in the conference agreement would partially restore funding to the Title VII Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) and the Centers of Excellence (COE) diversity programs.

While the AAMC recognizes there are many competing budget priorities, it is essential to preserve the foundations of our health care system: the pursuit of tomorrow's cures and a well-trained and diverse health care workforce. The AAMC strongly urges Congress to override the president's veto, and maintain the nation's necessary investment in the future health of all Americans."

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 131 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and nearly 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 128,000 faculty members, 75,000 medical students, and 110,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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