Congressman Juan Vargas Leads Letter to President Obama, Requesting an Increase in Funding for the National Institutes of Health in the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request
Press Release
Today, Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51) is leading a group of 38 Representatives from across the United States in sending a letter to President Obama requesting he increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the FY2017 budget request.
"The U.S. is a global leader in innovation in medical research. Unfortunately, that title is threatened by the past decade's steady decline in research activities due to budget cuts and underfunding," said Rep. Vargas. "The NIH has played an essential role in improving our nation's health by being a trailblazer in the virtual eradication of fatal diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis and gastrointestinal infections. By allocating the necessary funds to the NIH today, we can help eliminate current life threatening diseases that affect our population and again secure the nation's top spot in medical research. My colleagues and I urge President Obama to consider the importance NIH research has in our society and the effects proper funding can have on our nation's medical research capabilities."
"San Diego is a national leader in the field of medical research and NIH funding plays a key role in the breakthroughs and discoveries that are made every day," said Rep. Davis. "Budget cuts have threatened this critical funding, affecting medical advancements and our local economy. We need to keep NIH funding at a level that ensures San Diego and the United States remain world leaders in medical research."
"Increasing the annual NIH budget will keep our country's scientific research competitive and lead to research and discovery that will save lives," said Rep. Peters. "San Diego institutions and labs received nearly $400 million in NIH funds last year, supporting thousands of high-quality jobs, and rely on consistent investments to complete their groundbreaking research."
According to a Biocom study on NIH Funding, every $1 in NIH funding generates $2.2 in local economic growth. The letter addressed to the President asks to consider including $40.87 billion to the FY2017 budget request.
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