Durbin Reintroduces Legislation To Ensure Stable, Robust Funding For Biomedical Research, Deliver Hope For Patients

Durbin Reintroduces Legislation To Ensure Stable, Robust Funding For Biomedical Research, Deliver Hope For Patients

The American Cures Act would offer consistent, guaranteed funding to research institutions that helped defeat polio, map the human genome, improve cancer treatment, and more

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today reintroduced the American Cures Act, legislation that restores the United States' commitment to breakthrough scientific and biomedical research. The American Cures Act would create mandatory funds to provide steady, predictable funding for breakthrough research at America's top research agencies, allowing the U.S. to remain a leader in development and discovery for decades to come.

The American Cures Act would overcome the uncertainty of the annual discretionary appropriations process-in which critical investments for biomedical and scientific research risk being crowded out by other spending-and instead set a steady growth rate in mandatory federal spending for biomedical research conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Each year, the bill would increase medical research funding for these agencies at a rate of medical inflation plus five percent.

Over the past decade, Durbin has pushed for annual five percent funding increases for NIH. Since Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15), because of Durbin's efforts, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent increase in annual funding, raising the appropriations level from $30 billion in FY15 to $49 billion today. The American Cures Act would codify this push ahead of Durbin's retirement at the end of this term.

"Every family, mine included, has experienced a serious health condition or disease. When you or a loved one receives that devastating diagnosis, there is only one question on your mind: 'Is there a cure or a treatment?' Often, the answer is yes. America's world-class medical researchers and institutions have pushed the boundaries of science and achieved so many important and life-saving breakthroughs," Durbin said. "But today, we have an Administration that is hellbent on dismantling our nation's medical research infrastructure, making this legislation more important than ever. American leadership comes with the responsibility to move forward-to never be satisfied while there are those suffering from sickness and to push the boundaries of what is possible. My American Cures Act would give families facing terrible illnesses today the hope of treatment and cures tomorrow."

The reliable, long-term investment that the American Cures Act would provide would allow the agencies to plan and manage strategic growth while maximizing efficiencies and providing certainty to young researchers that there will be opportunities to pursue federally funded research. It also would make additional funding available within the relevant annual appropriations bills-paving the way for other important health, education, labor, veterans', and defense programs to benefit.

Last year, President Trump's budget sought to cut NIH's budget by 40 percent, or an $18 billion reduction. Thankfully, Congress rejected that proposal on a bipartisan basis and instead increased funding for NIH. This year, the President offered a budget that seeks to cut $6 billion from NIH, or 12%, and $3 billion from CDC programs.

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are cosponsors of the legislation.

The American Cures Act is endorsed by: American Association for Cancer Research; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Research!America; Defense Health Research Consortium; American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists; UsAgainstAlzheimer's; Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; University of Illinois System; CURE Epilepsy; National Fragile X Foundation; Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (PKDF); Fight Colorectal Cancer; ZERO Prostate Cancer; KidneyCAN; LUNGevity Foundation; Hope for Stomach Cancer; TSC Alliance; National Ataxia Foundation; and Solve M.E.

"The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) sincerely appreciates Senator Durbin's long-standing commitment and leadership in championing sustained and robust annual funding increases for the lifesaving medical research that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports," said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer, AACR. "Therefore, AACR remains a proud supporter of Senator Durbin's American Cures Act, which would provide 5% real growth (medical inflation + 5%) to medical research conducted at NIH and other important federal agencies."

"Finding cures for Americans requires hard work every year," said Research!America President and CEO Russ Paulsen. "The American Cures Act provides solid, secure funding for this hard work, without funding rollercoasters. It's the smart way to ensure progress."

A copy of the bill text is available here.

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