Casey: Budget Increases NIH Funding by $1 Billion, But More Needs to Be Done So Country, State Can Lead Way in Medical Research

Washington, DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that the congressional budget, which passed both the House and Senate this week, will increase funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1 billion. The increase comes after Senator Casey urged the Administration and congressional appropriators to dedicate the necessary resources to NIH, which creates jobs and furthers lifesaving medical research. The increase in funds will allow NIH to finance more research grants in Pennsylvania and across the country. Despite the $1 billion increase, Senator Casey called on Congress to come together to add additional funds. Even the $1 billion increase leaves NIH short of its 2009 funding.

“This lifesaving medical researching can transform the lives of patients and have a substantial impact on Pennsylvania’s economy,” Senator Casey said. “While this increase doesn’t get us back to pre-sequestration levels and isn’t all that’s needed, it’s a step forward from the draconian cuts that took place last year. I am constantly hearing from patients and researchers across Pennsylvania who have seen the real-life value of these investments. I will continue to push the Administration and Congress to increase NIH funds in the coming budget. Our nation can lead the way in medical discoveries with Pennsylvania at the forefront. In order to do that, it’s essential that NIH investments increase over the coming years.”

The NIH is our country’s premier institution for medical research.  NIH research has a significant economic impact, directly supporting hundreds of thousands of researchers, assistants and other lab and administrative staff, while indirectly supporting even more jobs in the fields of pharmaceutical and medical device research, development and manufacturing. 

In 2013, Pennsylvania researchers received $1,353,755,072 ($1.3 billion) in grants from the National Institutes of Health; the state is ranked 4th in the Nation for the number of grants awarded. This funding supported over 3,300 competitive grants to approximately 80 Pennsylvania companies or universities; in turn, these grants supported thousands of jobs across the state – an estimated 2,300 in-state jobs and total employment impact of over 23,000 jobs.

Regional data below shows the impact that medical research has across the state:

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