House Appropriations Committee Supports Increases for NIH

The House Appropriations Committee reviewed and passed its Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill for FY2017, funding NIH at $33.3 billion, a $1.25 billion increase over FY2016. The bill increases funding for the BRAIN Initiative by $45 million, for a total of $195 million, and for Alzheimer’s disease by $350 million, for a total of $1.26 billion.

The Senate Appropriations Committee recently passed its version of the bill with larger increases for SfN priority areas. The funding levels in both bills would facilitate investments in basic research that would allow researchers to take advantage of the scientific opportunities needed to combat neurological diseases and disorders that affect more than 100 million Americans each year.

Next, both bills head to their respective floors for a full vote before being reconciled and sent to the President. SfN encourages lawmakers in both chambers of Congress to ensure the final result supplies predictable and robust funding for biomedical research.