March 11, 2008: Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) announced they will offer an amendment to the Senate FY09 Budget Resolution (Senate Resolution 70) which would provide significant new funding for NIH. Their amendment would authorize an additional $2.1 billion for the NIH in FY09, bringing the agency’s total funding level up to $32.2 billion. The House and Senate appropriations committees would still have to provide this additional funding, but including it in the budget resolution is a significant first step. A vote on the Specter/Harken amendment could occur anytime within the next few days – PLEASE contact your two U.S. Senators and do the following:
1 – Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with your Senator’s health legislative assistant;
2 – Make the case for addititonal funding – remind your Senators that NIH has been flat-funded in recent years;
3 – Ask your Senators to vote YES on the Specter/Harken amendment to increase funding for the NIH in the FY09 budget resolution.
4 – Give the aide your contact information and ask t be kept informed of your Senator’s actions.
If you do not know who your two U.S. Senators are, please visit: http://www.senate.gov or call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121.
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