{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-led-funding-bill-provides-6th-consecutive-increase-for-life-saving-cost-saving-nih-research", "Blunt-Led Funding Bill Provides 6th Consecutive Increase for Life-Saving, Cost-Saving NIH Research", "2020-12-21", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Roy Blunt", "B000575", "www.blunt.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON  U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman\r\nof the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,\r\nEducation, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS), today announced that the National\r\nInstitutes of Health (NIH) has received $42.9 billion in the fiscal year 2021\r\nLabor/HHS appropriations bill, a $1.25 billion increase over last year's level.\r\nThe bill is the product of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations and is expected to be considered by Congress shortly. This year has reinforced the importance of a federal\r\ninvestment in the National Institutes of Health, said Blunt. As we\r\nhave faced a global health pandemic, NIH and its framework of 476,000\r\nresearchers across the country have been a critical part of our response\r\nefforts. At the same time, these scientists have had to continue with their day\r\njobs  working on research to prevent cancer, fight other infectious diseases,\r\nand identify ways to detect disease at its early stages. NIH-funded research continues to benefit the\r\nlives of all Americans. Blunt previously secured five consecutive funding increases\r\nfor NIH, bringing the six-year total increase to $12.85 billion, or 42.7%,\r\nunder Blunt's subcommittee chairmanship. Blunt continued, In my home state of Missouri, several\r\ninstitutions are working on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic\r\ntests. Missouri researchers continue to\r\nbe at the forefront of our most important discoveries, from working to combat\r\nthe COVID-19 global pandemic, to developing a blood test for Alzheimer's\r\ndisease, to discovering a potential new treatment for liver cancer. As we have seen firsthand this year,\r\nfundamental research and having the infrastructure and scientists in place is a\r\ncritical component to our health response.\r\nThat starts with sustained, predictable increases in NIH funding. It is one of the most important investments\r\nthe federal government can make. According to data from United for Medical Research, NIH\r\nfunding supported nearly 476,000 jobs and more than $81 billion in economic\r\nactivity nationwide in FY2019. In Missouri, NIH funding supported $1.6\r\nbillion in new economic activity and more than 9,000 jobs. Through December\r\n1, 2020, Missouri institutions received $670.8 million in NIH funding for 1,351\r\ngrants. From 2015- 2020, NIH funding to Missouri institutions increased by\r\n$199.2 million or 42.2%. Following Are Several of the Key NIH Investments\r\nIncluded in the Labor/HHS Bill: \r\n$3.1 Billion for Alzheimer's Disease\r\nResearch: The bill includes $3.1 billion for Alzheimer's disease research,\r\na $300 million increase from last year's level. Currently, Medicare and\r\nMedicaid spend $195 billion caring for those with Alzheimer's, making it the\r\nmost expensive disease in America. Since Blunt became subcommittee chair five\r\nyears ago, Alzheimer's disease research funding has nearly quadrupled,\r\nincreasing from $631 million to $3.1 billion.   \r\n$6.56 Billion for the National Cancer\r\nInstitute (NCI): The bill includes $6.56 billion for NCI, an increase of\r\n$119.4 million above FY2020. Within NCI funding, the bill provides:   o\r\n$50 million in continued funding for the\r\nPresident's Childhood Cancer Data program to connect and integrate multiple\r\nchildhood cancer data sources;    o\r\n$30 million for the Childhood\r\nCancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act, which\r\nBlunt cosponsored. The STAR Act is a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that\r\nexpands opportunities for childhood cancer research, improves efforts to\r\nidentify and track incidence of childhood cancer, and enhances the quality of\r\nlife for childhood cancer survivors;   o\r\n$250 million, an increase of $37.5 million, to\r\nprioritize competing grants in cancer research and sustain commitments to\r\ncontinuing grants. Grant applications to the National Cancer Institute have\r\nincreased by approximately 50% since 2013, with requests for cancer research\r\nten-fold greater than other institutes.   \r\n$560 Million for the BRAIN Initiative:\r\nThe measure increases funding for the BRAIN initiative by $60 million above\r\nFY2020. The bill also restores the $40\r\nmillion loss of Cures Act funding to the BRAIN Initiative in FY2021. The BRAIN Initiative is developing a more\r\ncomplete understanding of brain function, which could help millions of people\r\nwho suffer from a wide variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders,\r\nincluding Alzheimer's disease.   \r\n$500 Million for the All of Us Precision\r\nMedicine Initiative: The measure includes $500 million to fund the All of\r\nUs precision medicine study, restoring the $40 million loss of Cures Act\r\nfunding. This study will enroll one million Americans to take into account\r\ndifferences in biology, lifestyle, and environment to discover new paths\r\ntowards delivering individualized precision medicine. In October, Washington\r\nUniversity in St. Louis (WashU) received an enrollment grant as part of the\r\nPrecision Medicine Initiative.    \r\n$586.8 Million for the Clinical and\r\nTranslational Science Awards (CTSA): The measure includes $586.8 million,\r\nan increase of $8.7 million, for the National Center for Advancing\r\nTranslational Sciences' CTSA program. WashU's CTSA is part of the national\r\nprogram aimed at accelerating discoveries toward better health.   \r\n$2.1 Billion for Mental Health Research:\r\nThe bill includes $2.1 billion, an increase of $60.7 million, for mental health\r\nresearch at the National Institute of Mental Health.   \r\n$220 Million for Research on the Universal\r\nFlu Vaccine: The bill provides an increase of $20 million in targeted\r\nfunding to advance progress toward a universal flu vaccine. Under Blunt's\r\nleadership, funding for a universal flu vaccine has more than quadrupled in the\r\nlast four years. Saint Louis University is part of NIH's Vaccine and Treatment\r\nEvaluation Units working on a universal flu vaccine.   \r\n$943.7 Million for Opioid & Pain-Related\r\nResearch: The bill includes $943.7 million for research on opioid\r\naddiction, development of opioids alternatives, pain management, and addiction\r\ntreatment. If patients with acute or chronic pain do not have reasonable access\r\nto non-addictive pain medications or alternative treatments, it will be\r\ndifficult to get the opioid crisis under control. This includes $500 million in\r\ndedicated funding provided to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders\r\nand Stroke and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The bill also provides NIH\r\nflexibility to use the dedicated $500 million in opioid funding for stimulant\r\nresearch.   \r\n$425 Million for Infrastructure Improvements\r\non NIH's Campus: The bill provides a $225 million increase to support NIH's\r\nBethesda Campus, including a 200-bed research hospital, numerous laboratories,\r\noutpatient clinics, and administrative and facilities space. The funding\r\nincrease follows a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine\r\nreport stating there is a $1.3 billion backlog in facilities maintenance on the\r\ncampus. More than 72% of the facilities in Bethesda are over 20 years old and\r\nthe average condition index is in the poor range.    \r\n$10 Million for Premature Birth Research:\r\nThe bill includes new, dedicated funding for research aimed at enhancing the\r\nsurvival and health development of preterm infants. These studies may include research efforts to\r\nidentify and understand the causes of preterm birth, and the development of evidence-based\r\nstrategies to address the short- and long-term complications in children born\r\npreterm, including children with intellectual, developmental, and physical\r\ndisabilities.    \r\n$10 Million for Gene Vector Research: The\r\nbill recognizes the importance and promise of gene therapy in developing new\r\ntreatments for a number of diseases and conditions and provides $10 million in new,\r\ndedicated funding to expand ongoing gene vector initiatives. The creation of a Consortium for Innovation\r\nin Large-Scale Gene Vector Production can address specific translational\r\nroadblocks to vector production to increase the efficiency of vector\r\nproduction, therapeutic effects, and clinical trial design, with the goal of\r\nmaximizing the number of patients who benefit from gene therapy.    \r\n$10 Million for Lyme and Related Tick-borne\r\nDiseases Research: The bill includes, for the first time, dedicated funding\r\nfor Lyme disease and related tick-borne disease research. This funding will bring the total funding in\r\nFY2021 to $81 million.   \r\n$5 Million to Combat Foreign Threats to\r\nResearch: The bill includes $5 million for NIH to continue its work with\r\nHHS' Office of the Inspector General to combat foreign threats to the research\r\ninfrastructure. Blunt discussed\r\nthis issue at a Labor/HHS subcommittee hearing in April 2019, particularly\r\nChina's Thousand Talents program aimed at recruiting NIH-funded researchers to\r\nsteal intellectual property, cheat the peer-review system, establish shadow\r\nlaboratories in China, and help the Chinese government obtain confidential\r\ninformation about NIH research grants.   \r\n$12.6 Million for the Gabriella Miller Kids\r\nFirst Research Act: The Gabriella Miller Kids First Act, which was signed\r\ninto law in 2014, created a dedicated fund for pediatric medical research. The\r\nbill provides the resources authorized under the law, and prioritizes funding\r\nfor pediatric cancer research.   In addition, the bill provides increases to every NIH\r\nInstitute and Center to continue investments in innovative research that will\r\nadvance fundamental knowledge and speed the development of new therapies,\r\ndiagnostics, and preventive measures to improve the health of all Americans.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-led-funding-bill-provides-6th-consecutive-increase-for-life-saving-cost-saving-nih-research"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.238638862967491, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}