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Advocates, Start Your Engines: Lobbying for Research Funding Increases Will Be a Long Haul
Readers of SPIN are keenly aware that the research budgets of most federal agencies that fund psychological research received sub-inflation increases, or cuts, in this current fiscal year. Last month, we reported the bad news for research in the President’s FY09 budget, which, although important, is only the first scene in a fairly lengthy opera.
What steps are needed to change this dreary scenario? Science GRO staff members are hard at work within advocacy coalitions in support of expanded science funding. The targets of this advocacy at the moment are members of the House and Senate Budget Committees. In one example, Elizabeth Hoffman and Pat Kobor are participating in visits to the staff of House and Senate Budget Committee members, in support of improved funding for all the federal public health agencies (e.g. NIH, CDC, SAMHSA). The Coalition for Health Funding has organized these visits, in which delegates of multiple organizations representing scientific and patient advocacy organizations participate.
At these visits, the coalition members give congressional staff an important pitch: increase Function 550, the section of the budget encompassing discretionary health programs, by $5.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2009. It’s a very large increase, but over 350 organizations have signed a letter supporting it. The reason is that inadequate funding compounded over six years has led to critical deficits in each of the important programs that make up the infrastructure of public health in the U.S. Each year it becomes more expensive to compensate for those deficits, but it’s important for Congress to know what impact shrinking resources have made on these agencies.
The coalition visits have two aims; first to give congressional staff (and through them, the member of Congress) hard information about what level of funding the agencies need (the agencies themselves, as part of the executive branch, may not lobby Congress and must support the Administration’s budget). Second, the visits demonstrate to Congress the extent to which science groups, health providers and patient groups are united in their view of the problem and recommendations for solving it.
In other activities, Karen Studwell, who chairs the Friends of NICHD Coalition, organized a meeting with institute director Duane Alexander, MD, to get more detailed information about the NICHD’s budget request. Many of the “Friends of” coalitions have similar meetings with institute or agency directors to help arm the advocates with specific information to take to Congress about the impact of various budget scenarios on the agencies that fund psychological research. APA’s Heather Kelly attended the same type of meetings with National Science Foundation program staff when the President’s budget was released.
What is the timetable for congressional action on the budget? While subject to change, it is likely that the House and Senate Budget Committees will mark up their respective budget resolutions the week of March 3. Each body will also take its resolution to the floor the week of March 10. Adoption of budget numbers will clear the way for the appropriations process to begin. Apparently the target for Committee action on appropriations bills in both the House and Senate is before Congress adjourns in early August. There are multiple moments in which advocates will seek to make their case. Science GRO staff may notify SPIN readers of budget cutting or budget enhancing amendments and encourage you to weigh in with your members of Congress. Please watch for this type of correspondence from us! Often we will have very little notice, but calls and emails from constituents are incredibly influential.
During an election year, Congress usually chooses one of two ways to deal with must-pass funding legislation. One way is to keep the bills clean of controversial riders and pass them early. The other is to put off the hard decisions until after the November election. It sounds as though this year the second scenario is more likely. We have heard from Hill contacts that it’s likely a catch-all Continuing Resolution will be adopted sometime in September that will fund the government though March.
This is a critical year for science funding. Scientists are often the most effective spokespeople about the trickle-down effects of budget cuts—so don’t miss a chance to speak out. Please continue to share your comments and concerns with Science GRO staff, and watch this space for important calls to action on funding issues. |
