| Increased Funding Needed for Healthcare Research and Programs in FY 2007 – ACA Needs You to Call Today! This Wednesday, the House Budget Committee is scheduled to vote on the House Budget Resolution, which sets the overall funding allocations for all federal spending. As currently drafted, the House Budget Resolution CUTS funding for medical research and public health programs. While this is a very serious situation, there is a glimmer of hope. |
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BACKGROUND On February 6, 2006, President Bush released his proposed federal budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 to Congress. Unfortunately, the President's budget fails to meet even the basic public health needs of people with chronic diseases and disabilities. On the heels of approving the first cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1970 in FY 2006, the President has proposed even deeper cuts in medical research for FY 2007. As a result, the total number of NIH-funded research project grants would drop by 642, or 2 percent, below last year’s level. The President’s budget would cut funding for 18 of the 19 Institutes, sparing the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In addition to these cuts in medical research, the President's budget also proposes deep reductions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for chronic disease prevention and disability programs, quality of life programs, and health promotion, including the complete elimination of CDC programs focused on paralysis, Tourette’s syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cooley’s anemia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic kidney disease, and lupus programs. The National Limb Loss Information Center (NLLIC) was cut by $75,000. In total, the President's budget cuts nearly $20 million from chronic disease programs as well as nearly $15 million from birth defects and developmental disability programs. The only way to salvage these critical programs — and adequately fund all other programs — is to increase overall funding for all health programs. This Wednesday, the House Budget Committee is scheduled to vote on the House Budget Resolution, which sets the overall funding allocations for all federal spending. As currently drafted, the House Budget Resolution CUTS funding for medical research and public health programs. While this is a very serious situation, there is a glimmer of hope. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro plans to offer an amendment — identical to the Specter-Harkin amendment that passed the Senate a few weeks ago — to increase funding for all health and education programs by $7 billion. The only way to GUARANTEE that medical research at NIH, the chronic disease prevention programs at CDC, and other health research and public health programs are not only saved from cuts but also receive necessary increases in FY 2007 is for the House Budget Committee to pass the DeLauro Amendment. We simply cannot rely on the Appropriations Committee to fund these critical programs at appropriate levels if they do not have the authority to spend the money. As we saw last year, the Appropriations Committee can only spend as much money as they are allocated. That starts with the Congressional Budget Resolution, which sets the spending caps for the year by "Functions." For healthcare, including medical research and public health programs, the critical Function is "550." The bottom line is simple — if the Budget Resolution CUTS Function 550, the Appropriations bill MUST CUT medical research and public health programs. The DeLauro Amendment restores health and education funding levels to where they were in FY 2005. That’s right — in just two short years, funding for these critical programs has been cut by $7 billion. If we don’t reverse the trend this year, it will only get worse in the future. The President and members of Congress can't have it both ways — if they support medical research and public health programs, they must support a Budget Resolution that increases Function 550 funding over last year's level. If they support a Budget Resolution that cuts Function 550, that means they support cutting medical research and chronic disease programs at CDC and diminishing the quality of life for all Americans who are touched by these diseases. ACTION NEEDED We need you to speak for the millions of Americans living with chronic diseases by calling your Representative TODAY and telling them to SUPPORT the DeLauro Amendment. Tell Your Legislators When the Budget Resolution is considered by the House Budget Committee, ask your legislators to oppose the President's proposed cuts to medical research and public health and stand with you, their constituent, in support of our efforts to increase funding for chronic disease prevention, quality of life, and health promotion programs. Request that they vote FOR the DeLauro Amendment to increase funding for health and education programs by $7 billion, which only restores funding for these programs to FY 2005 levels.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Meredith P. Goins at 888/267-5669 or mgoins@amputee-coalition.org for assistance.
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