Events

ARVO Advocates Among First to Request FY2020 NIH/NEI Funding Increases and Meet with Key Senate Appropriations Staff Directors

 

From left: The “supergroup” meeting with key Senate Appropriations staff included Peter Koulen, PhD (University of Missouri), Mahbubul Shihan, PhD, (University of Delaware), Shenandoa Toote, MD (University of Miami), Laura Friedel, Majority Staff Director for the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Ketaki Panse, MD (Tulane University), Sheena Song (Touro University), Erica Landis, PhD (Emory University), and Alex Keenan, Minority Staff Director for the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee
From left: The “supergroup” meeting with key Senate Appropriations staff included Peter Koulen, PhD (University of Missouri), Mahbubul Shihan, PhD, (University of Delaware), Shenandoa Toote, MD (University of Miami), Laura Friedel, Majority Staff Director for the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee, Ketaki Panse, MD (Tulane University), Sheena Song (Touro University), Erica Landis, PhD (Emory University), and Alex Keenan, Minority Staff Director for the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee

As in past years, the early February date of the NAEVR-managed Advocacy Day associated with ARVO's Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC) meeting meant that vision researchers were among the first advocates on Capitol Hill to request Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI).

ARVO's domestic and international advocates including AMPC members, Advocacy and Outreach Committee members, and Science Communication Training Fellows-made nearly 40 delegation office visits, including those of new Members of the 116th Congress and members assigned to key committees with NIH funding and oversight jurisdiction. NAEVR also coordinated supergroup visits of the advocates with the leadership and ranking Staff Directors of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee, who wanted to hear whether the recent NIH/NEI increases were making research grant and training funding more accessible.

Every Advocacy Day is unique, and as the advocates made their February 8 visits Congress was working to finalize FY2019 appropriations for the seven appropriations bills not yet passed before the Continuing Resolution (CR) expired on February 15. Fortunately, since in late September 2018 Congress had finalized the FY2019 Conference Report that included the LHHS appropriations bill (that includes NIH/NEI) and the Defense appropriations bill, the advocates could thank offices for the $2 billion NIH and $24 million NEI increase and request continued robust funding increases for FY2020 as follows:

  • An NIH funding increase of $2.5 billion, or 6.4 percent, to a level of $41.6 billion, allowing for meaningful growth above inflation in the base budgets for the Institutes and Centers (ICs, such as NEI) and ensure funding for NIH's Innovation Account established by the 21st Century Cures Act for special initiatives (BRAIN Initiative, Cancer Moonshot, Precision Medicine, and Regenerative Medicine).

  • An NEI funding increase of $53 million, or 6.4 percent, to a level of $850 million. Advocates shared a graphic that showed that, despite increases in fiscal years 2016 through 2019, NEI's FY2019 enacted budget of $797 million is just 14 percent greater than the pre-sequester FY2012 funding level of $702 million, meaning a 2 percent annual growth rate over the past seven fiscal years as compared to the 2.8 percent average annual rate of biomedical inflation.

To enable these increases, the advocates also requested that Congress pass a bipartisan budget deal to raise FY2020 and FY2021 Budget Control Act (BCA) caps to fund critical nondefense discretionary programs, such a medical research. During ARVO's February 9, 2018, Advocacy Day, vision researchers were among the first to thank Congress for passing the budget deal that raised FY2018 and 2019 BCA caps and facilitated an NIH and NEI funding increase in each fiscal year.

Reflecting on the day, NAEVR Executive Director James Jorkasky stated, I wish to thank ARVO Advocacy and Outreach Chair Peter Koulen, PhD (University of Missouri) for leading by example in participating in every aspect of the event. From his past experience as an advocate, he advised participants to first speak about their research and how its potential to preserve sight and restore vision provides a valuable return on investment to the district, state, and the nation. I also wish to thank the advocates, both seasoned investigators and the Science Communication Fellows, who educated staff about the importance of training programs that develop early-stage investigators. This aspect of research is not always discussed, and it is critical to develop the next generation of vision scientists.”

NAEVR's James Jorkasky and David Epstein were pleased to join ARVO's Marisa Lavine, Jason Spessard, and Julene Joy in hosting the visits and taking images.

Dr. Koulen with Cong. Sharice Davids (D-KS)
Dr. Koulen with Cong. Sharice Davids (D-KS). Dr Koulen serves as Chair of ARVO's Advocacy and Outreach Committee.
Yali Jia, PhD (Oregon Health & Science University) with Anthony Mitchell, office of Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), an LHHS appropriator with funding jurisdiction over NIH
Yali Jia, PhD (Oregon Health & Science University) with Anthony Mitchell, office of Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), an LHHS appropriator with funding jurisdiction over NIH
Mary Marquart, PhD (University of Mississippi) with Cong. Michael Guest (R-MS)
Mary Marquart, PhD (University of Mississippi) with Cong. Michael Guest (R-MS)
ARVO’s Julene Joy, Haiyan Gong, MD, PhD (Boston University), and Faina Dookh, office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
ARVO's Julene Joy, Haiyan Gong, MD, PhD (Boston University), and Faina Dookh, office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

James Fadool, PhD (Florida State University) with Cong. Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL)
From left: Derek Royer, PhD (Duke University), Richard Lee, PhD (University of Bristol, UK), Goldis Malek, PhD (Duke University), and Rachel Soclof, office of Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
From left: Derek Royer, PhD (Duke University), Richard Lee, PhD (University of Bristol, UK), Goldis Malek, PhD (Duke University), and Rachel Soclof, office of Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
Dr. Landis, left, and Yutao Liu, MD, PhD (Medical College of Georgia), right, with Charlotte Kaye, office of Senator David Perdue (R-GA)
Dr. Landis, left, and Yutao Liu, MD, PhD (Medical College of Georgia), right, with Charlotte Kaye, office of Senator David Perdue (R-GA)
Salil Lachke, PhD, left, and Dr. Shihan, right, (both University of Delaware) with Kelsey Magill, office of Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
Salil Lachke, PhD, left, and Dr. Shihan, right, (both University of Delaware) with Kelsey Magill, office of Senator Chris Coons (D-DE)
James Fadool, PhD (Florida State University) and Dr. Toote with Eduardo Sacasa, office of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), an LHHS appropriator
James Fadool, PhD (Florida State University) and Dr. Toote with Eduardo Sacasa, office of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), an LHHS appropriator
From left: Cong. Gary Palmer (R-AL), Paul Gamlin, PhD (University of Alabama), Marius Heersink, MD (University of Alabama), and Zia Chaudhuri, PhD (University of Delhi, India)
From left: Cong. Gary Palmer (R-AL), Paul Gamlin, PhD (University of Alabama), Marius Heersink, MD (University of Alabama), and Zia Chaudhuri, PhD (University of Delhi, India)
From left: Suraj Upadhyaya, OD and Lisa Ostrin, OD, PhD (both from the University of Houston), Christopher Harvey, office of Cong. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), and Luminita Paraoan, PhD (University of Liverpool, UK)
From left: Suraj Upadhyaya, OD and Lisa Ostrin, OD, PhD (both from the University of Houston), Christopher Harvey, office of Cong. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), and Luminita Paraoan, PhD (University of Liverpool, UK)
Aurora Paik, office of Cong. Ted Lieu (D-CA) with Sheena Song
Aurora Paik, office of Cong. Ted Lieu (D-CA) with Sheena Song, DO (Touro University)