ALERT:NIH SUPPORT
darzynk@nymc.edu
Mon, 22 May 1995 11:16:00 -0500
Dear Collegues,
The US Senate begins consideration of the FY 1996 Budget Resolution
(S.Con. Res. 13) this week. The Senate Budget Committee proposes 10%
cut for the NIH in FY 1996 and then a freeze of the HIH Budget at
this lower level through 2002. The NIH budget would be cut from $
11.3 billion in FY 1995 to $ 10.2 billion in FY 1966 and then frozen
at $ 10.2 through 2002.
This proposed cut in the NIH budget is straggering and would
seriously damage the entire biomedical research. The NIH has
estimated that a 10% cut in its present budget wpould mean that the
successs rate for competing grant proposals would fall from the
current level of 24% to between 6 and 12% in FY 1996.
The funding for NCI is hardly above $2 billion per year. This should
be seen from the perspective of the seriousness of the problem. Every
year 1,200,000 Americans are diagnosed with cancer and over 600,000
die of this disease. In the statistical family of four one person is
expected to develop cancer in her/his lifetime. Yet, the funding for
cancer per year is an equivalent of a cost of a single B2 bomber (By
the way, does anybody can find a possible target for the bomber once
the cold war is over?). The funding the Congress gave to save the
bancrupt S&L institutions (over $ 200 billions) would be an
equivalent of the whole century funding for NCI, at the current
support level. This pitifully low level of funding for NIH,
especially when compared with a waste of tax money for perks about we
learn every day, is a disgrace for our elected representatives in the
Congress and the President.
Yet there are signs of rational thinking even in the Congress
(surprise?!). Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR) Chairman of the will
introduce a bi-partisan amendment during flor debate on the Senate
Budget Resolution to restore the 10% cut to the NIH budget.
YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT YOUR SENATORS BY TELEPHONE OF FAX TO
URGE THE TO SUPPORT THE HATFIELD AMENDMENT TO RESTORE TO RESTORE THE
10% CUT TO THE NIH BUDGET. DO IT TODAY- NOW!! THE DISCUSSION STARTS
TODAY. TIME IS CRITICAL,
Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz
CD ROM Vol 2 was produced by staff at the Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories
and distributed free of charge as an educational service to the cytometry community.
If you have any comments please direct them to Dr. J. Paul Robinson, Professor & Director, PUCL,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Phone:(317) 494-0757; FAX (317) 494-0517; Web http://www.cyto.purdue.edu
EMAIL robinson@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu
