On Thursday, I joined my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee to consider amendments to the 2013 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill. During the markup, I offered an amendment that would have increased the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to keep up with the rate of biomedical inflation by making small reductions to other programs in the bill. This amendment would have prioritized medical research without adding a penny to the nation’s annual deficit.

Medical research supported by NIH has changed the lives of millions of Americans and has the potential to impact millions more – offering them hope for the future. Now is not the time to waiver on America’s commitment to advancing disease cures and treatments. Without consistent, strong support of NIH, our nation is at risk of jeopardizing patient treatment advancements, losing our position as a global medical research leader, and squandering the opportunity to drive economic growth. Click here to read more.