Democrats in the US House of Representatives have proposed adding about $2 billion to the National Institutes of Health budget for the next fiscal year, the Hill reports. In all, the proposed Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education appropriations bill would add $12 billion in spending for fiscal year 2020, it adds.
That, the Hill says, exceeds President Donald Trump's budget request. In March, the Trump Administration requested $34.37 billion in funding for NIH for fiscal year 2020 — a nearly $5 billion cut in funding from this year's budget. The Trump Administration previously called for NIH budget cuts for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, though Congress eventually provided the agency with budget increases.
"Not only does this bill resoundingly reject the proposed cuts in President Trump's budget that would have hurt working families, it provides a robust increase in funding for important national priorities that create jobs and grow the economy, improve health security, and build a stronger future for all Americans," says House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) in a statement about the proposed bill, according to the Hill.