NAEVR Commends House and Senate for Making NIH Funding a Priority, Urges Congress to Make it a Reality

NAEVR COMMENDS HOUSE AND SENATE FOR MAKING NIH FUNDING A PRIORITY, URGES CONGRESS TO MAKE IT A REALITY

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) issued a statement upon the June 24 and June 25 approvals, respectively, by the Appropriations Committees of the House and Senate, of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) spending bills. The House bill includes National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding at $31.2 billion, a $1.1 billion increase, and National Eye Institute (NEI) funding at $698.1 million, a $21.3 million increase over its FY2015 Operational Net. The Senate bill funds the NIH at $32.08 billion, a $2 billion increase, and NEI at $709.5 million, a $32.7 million increase over its FY2015 Operational Net.

NAEVR Executive Director James Jorkasky said:

“NAEVR commends the House and Senate appropriations leaders, including the Chairs and Ranking Members of the LHHS Appropriations Subcommittees and the full Appropriations Committees, for making increased NIH funding a priority in the FY2016 process. We especially wish to thank the Senate leadership for responding to the biomedical research community’s request that the NIH be funded at a level of at least $32 billion and for increasing NEI funding to a level that exceeds its FY2012 pre-sequester budget.

We urge Congressional leaders to come together to make increased NIH/NEI funding a reality within the larger context of a balanced approach to deficit reduction to ensure the health—and vision health—of all Americans, while encouraging innovation, strengthening the economy, and sustaining America’s competitiveness.”

The National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) is a 501(c)4 non-profit advocacy coalition comprised of 55 professional, consumer, and industry organizations involved in eye and vision research. Visit the Web site at www.eyeresearch.org.