Senators write leadership urging $15.5B for NIH research amid COVID-19 relief package

As Congress continues to grapple over the next COVID-19 relief package, more than two dozen senators wrote a letter to Senate leadership this week to request inclusion of $15.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Whatever form the final legislation takes, they reasoned, funds must be provided to NIH’s research efforts to avoid significant damage to the larger research pipeline. To date, more than $10 billion has been lost in research of various diseases and treatments as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins. As a result, $10 billion of their request would go toward disruptions and the costs of ongoing medical research, while the remaining $5.5 billion would go to coronavirus-related research into cures, treatments, and vaccines.

“A majority of our researchers have been unable to continue their work while away from their labs, and the impact will be felt for years to come,” the senators wrote. “These disruptions will add a significant delay in our understanding of dangerous diseases as well as cutting-edge treatments to improve quality of life for those suffering from them. Beyond that, this major slowdown places an economic engine of over $81 billion and nearly 476,000 jobs across the U.S. at great risk.”

In their letter, the senators — which included such figures as U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) among them — also pointed out some of the specific diseases that could benefit from such research: cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes among them.

“This important work takes place in our universities in every state and produces results that drive our nation’s health care forward,” the senators said.