A “Dear Colleague” letter is being circulated by Reps. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Peter King (R-N.Y.), and Susan Davis (D-Calif.) to support funding the NIH (at least $2 billion above the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 enacted level) for FY18. As reported in yesterday’s HSLI legislative blog post, the proposed FY18 budget would decrease NIH funding 18%, from $31.7 billion in 2017 to $25.9 billion in 2018.
To support an NIH funding increase, congressional representatives are being asked to sign this letter by the end of the business day on March 31, 2017. Contact your local representative to encourage their support. Find your representative here. To sign on, state representatives must contact Zach Bunshaft, zach.bunshaft@mail.house.gov.
Action is additionally being sought in support of funding libraries, which are also at risk of significantly reduced budgetary allocations, along with the proposed elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. More on how to support library funding is available from the District Dispatch. The deadline for action on this initiative is April 3, 2017.