A report on budget sequestration released by the White House last week confirms fears that biomedical research advocates have been shouting for months: In the absence of structural changes in biomedical science funding, automatic across-the-board government spending cuts would decimate U.S. science.

Barring congressional action, the 8.2% cut to non-defense spending mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 will go into effect on Jan. 2, 2013, slicing $2.5 billion from NIH's $30 billion budget. Legislation also would be needed to avert or limit deep budget cuts at FDA (see Cover Story).