{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cooper.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/cooper-joins-effort-to-boost-funding-to-public-health-agencies", "Cooper Joins Effort to Boost Funding to Public Health Agencies", "2014-10-23", "2014", "2014-10", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Jim Cooper", "C000754", "cooper.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 In light of the Ebola outbreak, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-05) today signed a letter raising concerns about insufficient funding levels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).\nJoined by nearly 50 House Democrats, Cooper added his signature to a letter addressed to the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for setting funding levels for federal agencies. The letter implores the House panel to prioritize programs related to investment in medical research and response to public health emergencies.\n\u201cWhile we understand that adequately funding the NIH and CDC is a serious financial undertaking for our nation,\u201d the letter says, \u201cthe fact remains that increased funding could likely result in vaccines, treatments and cures that would otherwise not be discovered.\u201d\nThe letter cites recent remarks from NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins: \u201cIf we had not gone through our 10-year slide in research support, we probably would have had a vaccine in time for this [Ebola crisis] that would have gone through clinical trials and would have been ready.\u201d\nLawmakers also note that NIH funding has not kept up with inflation.\nThe House Appropriations Committee is expected to address funding measures before this session of Congress adjourns in December.\nThe full letter is HERE.", 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": ["http://cooper.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/cooper-joins-effort-to-boost-funding-to-public-health-agencies"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9055680129677057, "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"}