The scientific research community welcomed a budget deal struck Dec. 10 by the U.S. House of Representatives, which, if approved, would reinstate some funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), among other federal programs, that had been slashed under sequestration earlier this year.
The two-year budget agreement would avoid another government shutdown in January and attempt to restore funds that were lost by sweeping federal cuts--known as sequestration--which took effect in March. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 would set overall discretionary spending for the current fiscal year at $1.012 trillion--a compromise between the Senate budget level of $1.058 trillion and the House budget level of $967 billion, according to a statement released by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI).
The agreement would deliver $63 billion in sequester relief over two years, split evenly between defense and nondefense programs. For fiscal year 2014--which began Oct. 1--defense discretionary spending would be set at $520.5 billion with nondefense discretionary spending at $491.8 billion.
Sequestration caused NIH to cut its budget by 5%--or $1.55 billion--across all of the agency's programs, projects and activities. In 2012, NIH's total funding was about $30.86 billion. Sequestration reduced that number to $29.15 billion.
"[The] bipartisan budget announcement is an important first step toward slowing the damage the nation's biomedical research enterprise has been enduring since sequester cuts began drastically cutting our national investment in basic science research," said Benjamin Corb, spokesman for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, in a statement.
A survey conducted by the industry group presented to Congress in October found that federal investment in scientific research has fallen off in recent years, suffering a 20% hit adjusted with inflation since it peaked in 2010.
"The looming threats of low budget caps and resumption of the sequester after 2015 will continue to cast a pall on the medical innovation ecosystem; discouraging the best and brightest scientists, destroying the hopes of patients and risking our leadership in the global life science industry," said Carrie Wolinetz, president of the advocacy group United for Medical Research, in a statement.
The bipartisan budget passed in the House Dec. 12. As of the morning of Dec. 17, the deal appears to be on track to clear the Senate after it passed a test vote of 67-33 vote.
- here's the statement released by Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Paul Ryan
- read the summary of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013