NAEVR Supports Statement of Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research on President's FY2022 Budget Request, Adds Comment Regarding NEI Funding

(Washington, DC) Today, the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) supported the statement of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, to which it belongs, upon the release of President Biden’s full Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget proposal which would fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $51.953 billion, a $9.017 billion or 21 percent increase over the FY2021 program level, and create the new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health (ARPA-H) within NIH. The budget does not include COVID-19 research relief funding.

“The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research is thrilled to see President Biden propose a bold, historic funding level for the NIH overall in FY2022, to amplify and build on the irreplaceable role of medical research in improving health and inspiring hope for patients and their families in the U.S. and around the globe.

In particular, we are grateful that the President recognizes the importance of sustaining strong increases in the NIH base budget to support foundational research discoveries across the agency’s broad portfolio. The nearly 400 organizations and institutions representing patients, clinicians, scientists, educators, academic and research institutions, and industry in the Ad Hoc Group have recommended no less than $46.1 billion for the NIH’s base program level funding in FY2022, and we look forward to working with lawmakers to build on the President’s proposal toward this goal. Additionally, our community welcomes opportunities to engage with the Administration and Congress regarding the proposed Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). To advance the transformative mission of this and other targeted initiatives – and the NIH overall – it will be critical to ensure that funds supplement, rather than supplant, the core investment in NIH.

We remain concerned about the lingering $16 billion impact of the coronavirus pandemic on medical research progress in all disease areas, and especially on the research workforce, as highlighted by Dr. Collins’ recent testimony before the Senate LHHS Subcommittee. The Ad Hoc Group urges Congress to provide supplemental resources, for example, as outlined in the RISE Act, that would allow the NIH to rebuild and further enhance the nation’s strong and diverse research workforce infrastructure and also continue to expand its investment in new research to provide better health for patients.”

NAEVR Executive Director James Jorkasky added to the Ad Hoc statement about National Eye Institute (NEI) funding, as the President’s budget proposed to fund NEI at $858.54 million, a  $22.83 million or 2.7 percent increase over the FY2021 level.

“As presented in the May 19 House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Public Witness Day testimony provided by Michael Crair, PhD (Yale University) on behalf of NAEVR, the vision community requests that Congress fund the NEI at a level of $900 million in FY2022, an increase of $64.3 million or 7.7 percent, that reflects both biomedical inflation and growth to restore NEI’s purchasing power, which is currently less than that in FY2012.”  

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.