April 30, 2015
CONTACT: Barry Toiv, 202-408-7500, b[email protected]
Following is a statement by the Association of American Universities on the draft 21st Century Cures bill released on April 29, 2015, by Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the panel’s ranking member, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ):
The draft bill, 21st Century Cures, released by the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday, reflects strong bipartisan appreciation of the central role of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in developing scientific and medical innovations. By authorizing a mandatory $10 billion increase in NIH funding over five years, the measure would provide the world’s premier biomedical research agency with critical resources for finding discoveries and cures.
We welcome the draft bill’s recognition of the need for sustained, predictable funding for NIH and commend the leadership of Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI) and Diana DeGette (D-CO). The federal investment in biomedical research and our biomedical workforce is critical to improving the health of Americans, reducing public health costs, and ensuring American competitiveness in the global economy.
AAU will continue to analyze the full text of the legislative draft and looks forward to working with Congress to establish sustained, predictable funding for NIH.
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The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an association of 60 U.S. and two Canadian public and private research universities. It focuses on issues such as funding for research, research policy issues, and graduate and undergraduate education. AAU member universities are on the leading edge of innovation, scholarship, and solutions that contribute to the nation's economy, security, and wellbeing. AAU’s 60 U.S. universities award nearly one-half of all U.S. doctoral degrees and 55 percent of those in STEM fields.