Advocacy for 2010 NIH Funding Starts Now

While you're stuck inside on this rainy day in Washington, do some online advocacy!
Photo credit: Heather Benson

Two great advocacy opportunities with deadlines of today and tomorrow!

Deadline today!
NIH Champions Call for Increased Funding - Urge Your Representative to Sign-on

A bipartisan group of Representatives are inviting their congressional colleagues to join them on a letter supporting increased funding for NIH in FY 2010.

These members of the House are calling for "an increase for NIH of at least 7 percent, with some of us believing that the appropriate funding increase would be as much as 10 percent." The following representatives are taking the lead:

• Rep. Ed Markey (MA)
  
• Rep. David Reichert (WA)
  
• Rep. Janice Schakowsky (IL)
  
• Rep. Joe Courtney (CT)
  
• Rep. Michael Castle (DE)
  
• Rep. Susan Davis (CA)
  
• Rep. Brian Bilbray (CA)

Please support these champions who are calling for a strong increase in NIH funding by writing to your Representative immediately. The deadline for Members to sign the letter is April 2.

Deadline tomorrow!
President Obama started the FY 2010 funding process when he issued an outline of his budget at the end of February. Now the budget is in the hands of Congress, and it's time for research advocates to begin speaking out.

Each congressional office can submit Program Level Requests to the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee to recommend an increase for the NIH in FY 2010. Please contact your Representative now to urge him or her to request an increase in NIH funding of at least 10% in FY 2010.

The deadline to submit Program Level Requests to the Subcommittee is April 3.

Contact your representatives now!