Reps. urge increased NIH funding

A bipartisan group of 145 Representatives signed a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting annual NIH funding of at least $32 billion, a increase of nearly $2 billion over 2015 levels. The authors cited a 20% decrease in purchasing power for the agency since 2003.

Reps. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), David McKinley (R-W.Va.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) led the group. The legislators said the failure of NIH funding to keep pace with inflation "has a serious, wide-ranging impact on our nation's health and our capacity for medical innovation in the 21st century." ...