Senate Appropriators Show Support for Increased NIH Funding

The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee held a hearing last week on the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Witnesses included NIH Director Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, and W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, Director of the National Cancer Institute, among other NIH officials.

Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito, (R-WV) Chair and Ranking Member of the subcommittee, expressed their support for the continuation of a strong investment to NIH funding. The hearing covered topics such as women’s health research, the creation of new technologies in imaging (related to Alzheimer’s research), and expanding and diversifying clinical trials, along with increasing their availability. Additionally, in the Senate, a bipartisan group of nearly 60 lawmakers submitted a letter to the Appropriations Committee requesting appropriators maintain a strong commitment to funding for the NIH in FY 2025.

Although the Senate is outward with support, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations adopted funding levels that would cut a large portion of non-defense discretionary funding, which would include NIH. The House is scheduled to release its proposed budget for NIH and other agencies in late June.

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) continues to advocate for increased investment in NIH and maintains support for biomedical research. For more information, contact Katie Grady, ACR Government Affairs Director.