Senate Committee
Provides Inflationary Increase for NIH
On July 27th, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) Subcommittee adopted its fiscal year (FY) 2011 bill (S 3686) by voice vote. Consideration of the measure that funds the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was brief with only Senators Tom Harkin (IA), Thad Cochran (MS), Mary Landrieu (LA), Jack Reed (RI), and Arlen Specter (PA) participating in the discussion. The bill provided $32 billion for NIH, the same recommendations made by the House and approximately $1 billion (3.5 percent) more than the FY 2010 level, and also included $50 million to implement the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN).
In his opening statement, subcommittee Chairman Harkin referenced the fiscal constraints facing the subcommittee noting, “in the longer term, the national debt continues to rise to dangerous levels. As the largest non-defense Appropriations bill that Congress will consider this year, the LHHS bill must respond to both of these challenges, addressing today’s hard economic realities while taking every possible opportunity to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse so as to reduce the deficit in the long run.” Ranking Member Cochran also delivered brief remarks, expressing his appreciation for the funding increase for NIH. No amendments were offered during the mark-up, although Senator Specter commented on the NIH funding level and the CAN allocation and offered a summary of some of the advances in research that have been achieved as a result of the federal investment in biomedical research. He also noted that he believed NIH funding is the most important priority in the bill, felt that CAN “could make good use of at least $100 million,” and indicated he intended to speak with Chairman Harkin about increasing the overall amount for agency as well as the new cures network. Harkin responded that although he looked forward to discussing CAN with Senator Specter, the $50 million funding level is adequate because it is a new program and it is “an open question” about how much NIH could use to launch it. Harkin also stated that since the LHHS bill probably will not be finished until December or January, NIH will only have nine months to spend the $50 million, and that the subcommittee could explore with Dr. Collins next year what the future allocation levels for that program should be.
Two days later as the full Appropriations Committee debated the LHHS bill, Senator Specter delivered on his promise to seek additional funding for NIH
and he offered an amendment to increase the NIH budget by an additional $1 billion to an FY 2011 level of $33 billion. Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin praised Senator Specter for his longtime dedication to the biomedical research enterprise, but reluctantly opposed the amendment, explaining that the $32 billion recommended funding level met the rate of biomedical inflation, and that the money provided to the agency by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will most likely continue to be spent well into FY 2011. Chairman Harkin also felt the cuts proposed by Senator Specter to offset the cost of an additional $1 billion for NIH were not insignificant. A number of Democratic senators made brief statements thanking Specter for his willingness to fight for biomedical research, but ultimately the amendment failed by a vote of 2-28, with the Senator from Pennsylvania and Barbara Mikulski (MD) providing the only votes in favor of the proposal. The full committee approved the entire bill by a vote of 18-12. A
summary of the bill is available on the panel’s website.
In addition, on August 3rd, the Senate Appropriations Committee released
report language accompanying the LHHS bill. Several items of interest to FASEB societies were mentioned in the explanatory document including a statement criticizing NIH for its slow pace in addressing ongoing concerns about the use of Class B dealers as the providers for animals in agency-supported research. The report also echoed several of the same messages that FASEB has been delivering regarding the potential “funding cliff” at NIH, noting that “the Committee recognizes…that the softest possible landing is critical to maintaining the scientific momentum gained over the past two years and ensuring that young investigators have a bright future in biomedical research. The Committee hopes that this will mark the first of several years of growth for the NIH that, if not spectacular, are at least steady and predictable.” Strong support for the value of basic research was featured in the report as well with appropriators stating “the Committee believes that basic biomedical research should remain a key component of both the intramural and extramural research portfolio at NIH.” Language requesting a follow-up report (by May 1, 2011) on the status of the agency’s progress in implementing the existing open access policy, updated figures on participation rates by authors, collaborations with publishers, and efforts to ensure compliance by NIH-funded researchers was also included.
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Inside (The Beltway)
Scoop – Jennifer Zeitzer
Although members of the House left Washington at the end of July for what was supposed to be a month-long summer break, their vacation is scheduled to be briefly interrupted next week as a result of this week’s activity in the Senate. On Wednesday afternoon, the Senate voted to end debate on a bill that would provide states with additional funding to prevent teacher layoffs and continue Medicaid benefits, clearing the way for a final vote that took place on August 5th. That action was followed by an announcement from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) that lawmakers would return to the Capitol the week of August 9th to vote on the state aid measure before sending it to the White House where it is expected to be signed by President Obama. The House is expected to meet informally on Monday, August 9th, vote on the state aid bill on Tuesday, August 10th, and then resume the recess.
Prior to leaving town, the House made additional progress on the fiscal year (FY) 2011 appropriations bills, including bringing the Transportation/Housing and Urban Development and
Military Construction/Veterans Administration (MilCon/VA) measures to the floor. On July 28th, the House passed the veterans funding bill (HR 5822/ S 3615) by a
vote of 411 – 6, providing
$590 million for Medical and Prosthetics Research which is $9 million (1.5 percent) above the enacted FY 2010 level of $581 million and equal to the President’s request. Eleven amendments were adopted on the House Floor, but no changes were made to the Medical and Prosthetics Research funding level approved by the House Appropriations Committee earlier in July. The $590 million appropriation also matches the funding level passed by the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The
MilCon/VA bill was the first of the twelve annual appropriations bills to be considered on the House floor this year.
Despite getting a late start, legislators have made substantial progress on the spending measures, including the bills that fund the federal science agencies. Given the overwhelming demand for fiscal austerity, the programs on behalf of which FASEB advocates fared very well, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation, and the competitive research program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The increase for NIH is especially noteworthy because it is the first time in recent years that the congressional appropriation has met or exceeded biomedical research inflation (see related story above). FASEB generated more than 11,000 emails to the House and Senate prior to Appropriations Committee consideration of the bill that funds NIH.
| |
FY10
Appropriation |
President's FY11
Budget |
House Appropriations
Committee |
Senate Appropriations
Committee |
NIH
(S 3686) |
$31 billion |
$32 billion |
$32
billion |
$32
billion |
NSF
(S 3636) |
$6.9 billion |
$7.42 billion |
$7.42 billion |
$7.35 billion |
DoE Office of Science
(S 3635) |
$4.9 billion |
$5.12 billion |
$4.9
billion |
$5.0
billion |
VA Medical and Prosthetics Research
(HR 5822/ S 3615) |
$581 million |
$590 million |
$590
million |
$590
million |
USDA AFRI
(S 3606) |
$262 million |
$429 million |
$312
million |
$310
million |
In addition, both the House and Senate passed HR 5849, a bill that will provide another short-term extension for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Both programs expired on July 31st. HR 5849 extends the programs through September 30, 2010 and does not increase the current set-aside level. The bill passed the Senate by “unanimous consent” and was approved via voice vote in the House. SBIR and STTR fund research conducted by small businesses by “setting aside” 2.5 percent of the annual budgets of 11 federal agencies (including NIH, NSF, the USDA and the Department of Energy). Last year, the Senate passed legislation that would increase the set-aside to 3.5 percent. FASEB is leading the fight to oppose the SBIR set-aside increase proposed by the Senate and support the House position, which keeps the set-aside at the current level. The latest extension provides lawmakers with more time to work through ongoing disagreements between the House and Senate versions of the legislation. However, it is very likely that at least one more temporary extension will be enacted later this fall.
At this point, the schedule once Congress returns the week of September 13th is largely unknown. Work is expected to continue on the FY 2011 appropriations bills, although it remains to be seen if any more of the committee-approved measures will be brought to the floor of either chamber. It is expected that lawmakers will adopt a “continuing resolution” to keep federal agencies funded while Congress is in recess before the mid-term elections in November. Both the House and Senate have announced a target adjournment date of October 8th.
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FASEB has released the latest article in the
Breakthroughs in Bioscience series, “Life Blood: Angiogenesis in Health and Disease.” The article describes the critical importance of angiogenesis in human health and disease and highlights the exciting clinical breakthroughs that have grown out of this body of research.
Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels. For all human tissues, these vessels carry out the essential tasks of oxygen and nutrient delivery and waste removal. Angiogenesis is a highly regulated process and its disruption can have profound health effects. Insufficient angiogenesis is associated with Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. By contrast, excessive angiogenesis is related to multiple sclerosis, asthma, arthritis, and cancer. Readers will learn how early studies of tadpole tails and bat wings provided the foundation of our understanding of angiogenesis and how these basic research discoveries have been translated in medical treatments for lung cancer, diabetes, and long list of other diseases.
The Breakthroughs in Bioscience series is a collection of illustrated articles, published by FASEB, that explain recent developments in basic biomedical research and how they are important to society. Other articles include: “Building Electronic Bridges to Bionics: The Basic Science of Neural Prosthetics,” “Viruses, Cancer, Warts, and All: The HPV Vaccine for Cervical Cancer,” “Breathtaking Discoveries: How Basic Research Led to Treatments for Asthma,” and “Science, Serotonin, and Sadness: The Biology of Antidepressants.” Click
here to view this and other Breakthroughs in Bioscience articles.
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FASEB CALLS FOR EXCLUSION OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES FROM PROPOSED CONFLICT OF INTEREST REGULATIONS
On August 4, 2010, FASEB submitted
comments in response to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Notice of Proposed Rule Making on financial conflicts of interest. The response letter articulates FASEB’s support of efforts to maintain public trust and ensure scientific integrity, but calls on HHS to 1) exclude “reasonable and customary reimbursements” from the definition of significant financial interests, and 2) exclude income from “non-profit, member-based professional scientific or engineering societies” from the reporting requirements.
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