NHC UPDATE
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Appropriations -December 2009
The appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services and Education was delayed by several months as health care reform legislation became the dominant issue before Congress. While the appropriations bill has already passed the full House and another version has been passed out of committee in the Senate, there has been no effort to schedule a floor vote in the Senate or time to work out differences between the two bills. Currently, the federal government is being funded at Fiscal Year 2009 levels under a Continuing Resolution, or C.R., through December 18.
In the House, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was funded at $31.3 billion, an increase of $942 million from FY 2009 and $500 million above the President’s request. The Senate version of the bill funds NIH at $30.8 billion, an increase of $442 million from FY 2009 and equal to the President’s request.
The NHC has signed onto several letters of support for increased health appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010, including additional funds for NIH, Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The NHC also continues to work with United for Medical Research (UMR) and all of the stakeholders to present a united community for long-term, sustained increases in health research budgets. UMR hosted a welcome reception, on Capitol Hill on December 2 for Dr. Francis Collins, the new Director of the National Institutes of Health.
Congress is attempting to finish health care reform legislation before the end of 2009, making it likely that appropriations for 2010 will be completed as a part of an omnibus appropriations package that includes funding for several agencies.
Staff Contact: Kevin Cain, Assistant Vice President, Government Affairs and Programs
