Taking the Leap
On a bipartisan basis, Senate appropriators approved “Labor-HHS” legislation that would grow the NIH by $1.77 billion in FY25. Appropriators had to contend with a drop in authorized “Cures” funding before trying to grow the budget, which only heightens this accomplishment. See our statement. Below you can find other results:
- ARPA-H would be flat-funded at $1.5 billion. We had hoped for increased funding, but the Senate number sets the bar significantly higher than the House, which would cut ARPA-H funding by $1 billion.
- We understand that funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which would be eliminated under the House Labor-HHS bill, is slated to receive an increase (not yet released) under the Senate bill.
- The CDC would receive an increase of $173 million in the Senate bill, in contrast to a cut of $1.8 billion in the House bill.
- The House and Senate bills provide comparable increases for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) (an increase of $55 million in the Senate and $85 million in the House).
Senate appropriators took a leap on behalf of our nation and the global community. We know — because legislators have told us – that research and public health advocates influenced these extraordinarily positive outcomes. Watch your email for a sign-on thank you note to Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice-Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), Labor-HHS Subcommittee Chair Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) for their commitment to medical progress, bipartisanship, and a better future for all.
An Advocacy Leap: Here’s a question: how do you cultivate more champions for medical progress in Congress? Answer: let congressional candidates know that medical progress is important to you. Get your family and friends to do the same. The logic is straightforward: What candidates hear about now from voters is more likely to be what they care about when (if) they are in office.
Take the leap. Reach out to your candidates. We’ve put together a candidate engagement toolkit, which you can also find on our website, to take the mystery out of this tried-and-true form of nonpartisan advocacy. Please email Erin Darbouze, if you’d like to brainstorm, partner, or want moral support.
CURES 2.1 Deadline is Upon Us: Tomorrow is the deadline for responding to the request for input Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN) issued as they develop new legislation building on two landmark bipartisan legislative initiatives, the 2016 21st Century Cures Act and the 2021 Cures 2.0 Act. Full disclosure: we’re still finalizing our comments. Shoot us an email if you’d like to see a copy with a huge “DRAFT ONLY, TYPOS LIKELY” watermark.
Bolstering Progress Against Rare Pediatric Diseases: The rare disease advocacy community is leading an effort to secure reauthorization of the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher program, an incentive mechanism that has also been used successfully to increase R&D focused on neglected tropical diseases and medical countermeasures. The National Organization for Rare Disorders has put together a primer filled with compelling data on the impact of the voucher program, and is leading a sign-on letter in support of advancing reauthorization. The power of the patient voice!
Clinical Trials Hill Briefing: We are thrilled to report a standing-room-only turnout for Understanding the Power and Possibility of Clinical Trials, a Capitol Hill briefing we hosted earlier this week. A special thanks to Rep. Bucshon and David Steury, representing Rep. DeGette, for discussing members’ efforts to increase diversity in clinical trials participation and speed medical progress for patients. A special thanks to moderator, William Dahut, MD, and panelists, Josh Denny, MD, Karin Hoelzer, MD, Hilary Marston, MD; and Michael Ybarra, MD, for their contributions to a robust discussion on the importance of clinical trials in the research ecosystem.
ICYMI: We hosted several alliance discussions this week including:
- Progress Made, Progress Needed: National Cancer Institute Director Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, joined Research!America Board Member Ravi Thadhani, MD, Executive Vice President of Health Affairs at Emory University, and attendees for a conversation about her career path, priorities for NCI, and (some of) the breakthroughs that are gaining urgently needed, profoundly hard-won traction against cancer. If you weren’t able to join us, watch the recording to get to know a truly remarkable, yet down-to-earth, research leader.
- Gauging An Evolving Infectious Threat: Our own Jenny Luray moderated a discussion that reflects Research!America alliance member input on topics of interest and our great fortune in knowing Jennifer Nuzzo, MD, an epidemiologist and Director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health. Dr. Nuzzo shed light on H1N5 (bird flu), which is spreading among U.S. dairy herds. Watch this fast-paced, important discussion here.
*Ellie Dehoney, Research!America’s Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, is our guest author this week.