|
|
|
Print this article 
SOT Joined Other Science-Based Organizations in Urging Congress to Increase
NIH Funding Now—It's Essential to Economic Recovery
In an October 30, 2008 letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the Society of Toxicology joined with more than 230 patient groups, scientific and medical societies, research institutions, and industry organizations to emphasize the need to include an additional $1.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the economic recovery plan under development. Since FY 2003, NIH has lost more than 14 percent of its purchasing power due to federal funding lagging behind the rate of biomedical inflation.
The letter emphasized the economic stimulus that results from NIH support of research, noting that research "results in preventive, therapeutic, and diagnostic measures to improve the health and quality of life for all Americans. In addition, these advances also contribute to the economic strength of the nation by creating skilled jobs, new products, and improved technologies." Read the full letter.
SOT also participated in a letter-writing campaign to the Senate that ultimately resulted in an additional $1 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Reid/Byrd Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (S 3689), which passed in the Senate on November 18, 2008.
|
