No funding for NIH

[Guest guest]

Dear Group,

Today I received the following from LLS in response to my letter to

congress about funding for NIH and NCI. If you get the newsletters from LLS,

then you also received the same letter. The Senate did not pass this bill.

" the vote fell short (52-42) of the 60 votes needed for passage, derailing

efforts to increase funding for NIH and NCI. "

I don't know how many of you wrote your senators and congressmen, but I

did, through LLS's website. This was the response. I hope you all write your

senators and tell them how you feel about their vote. The package would have

given l.2 billion for NIH. Now the House is supposed to have their own stimulus

package, so you still have time to write them to tell them to vote to give

funding to NIH. We are always on the short end of the stick.

Here is the letter from LLS: On Wednesday, the U.S. House of

Representatives passed a " continuing resolution " to fund the federal government

through March 6, 2009 until a fiscal 2009 budget can be agreed upon. This

resolution would keep funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and

the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the fiscal 2008 levels and would not

provide a funding increase for cancer research.

As mentioned yesterday, Sens. Byrd (D-WV) and Harry Reid (D-NV)

offered a $56 billion economic stimulus package as an amendment to the Senate

version of the continuing resolution. This package would have included an

additional $1.2 billion for NIH. The Senate held a vote to advance this stimulus

package this afternoon and, unfortunately, the vote fell short (52-42) of the 60

votes needed for passage, derailing efforts to increase funding for NIH and NCI.

The House still needs to vote on their version of the stimulus package,

which would then go back to the Senate for their consideration, and the Senate

still needs to vote on their version of the continuing resolution. It is

unlikely, however, that either of these measures would include increased funding

for NIH, NCI and cancer research.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society would like to thank all of its advocates

who took a moment to contact their senator's office on this issue. We will keep

you informed of any other opportunities to support an effort to increase funding

for cancer research.

Don't forget to write and let them know you want them to increase funding

for cancer, we are this ( ) close,

Lottie