NIH gets 7% budget boost in spending deal
It's been a very busy week on Capitol Hill and we want to make sure you heard about the passage of a $1.4 trillion spending deal that secures record funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and includes funding for implementation of the Childhood Cancer STAR Act. This 12-bill spending package not only averts a government shutdown but provides the certainty that comes with full-year funding.
The House passed the bipartisan spending package earlier this week, followed by Senate passage yesterday. President Trump is expected to sign the appropriations bills today - ahead of a midnight deadline.
Congress increased the NIH budget by 7 percent above the Fiscal Year 2019 budget, to $41.7 billion for FY2020. The NIH includes the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which supports the Children's Oncology Group - the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood cancer research.
More: Final 2020 spending bill is kind to U.S. research (ScienceMag, 12.16.19) →
Among the other highlights in the spending bill:
$30 million for implementation of the Childhood Cancer STAR Act;
$50 million for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative;
$195 million for the Cancer Moonshot research initiative;
$12.6 million for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.
Cancer remains the number one disease killer of children, and some pediatric cancers remain terminal upon diagnosis. Progress in research is almost entirely dependent on federal funding. Childhood cancer doctors and researchers rely on that funding to advance new treatments and give us hope.
Thank you to this amazing community of strong families and powerful advocates who speak up time and time again for our kids. This spending package is proof that Congress is listening!