Bethesda, MD – The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) released a new analysis of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding trends highlighting the devastating impact of sequestration on the nation's capacity to support critical research. The FASEB analysis follows a May 15th Senate Appropriations Committee hearing featuring NIH Director, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, who testified that the $1.6 billion cut the agency sustained in FY 2013 due to sequestration is "having a substantial impact on the scientific community."
According to data from the NIH Website compiled by FASEB:
- In constant dollars (adjusted for inflation), the NIH budget in FY 2013 is at its lowest level since FY 2000.
- NIH awards are expected to drop from the 9,032 made in FY 2012 to an estimated 8,283 in FY 2013 (an 8.3 percent decrease).
A bipartisan group of senators joined Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) and subcommittee ranking member Jerry Moran (R-KS) in pledging to work together to do everything possible to increase the NIH budget in FY 2014.
FASEB urges Congress to restore the cuts and sustain the federal investment in NIH with a FY 2014 appropriation of at least $32 billion.