Momentum is building across Congress and the research community in strong support of increased federal investment in medical research at both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD).
In May, more than 30 U.S. senators signed a bipartisan letter in support of DoD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), which fund innovative, high-impact research that benefits servicemembers, veterans, and patients nationwide. The Lupus Research Program is one of these programs, and founding, protecting and increasing its funding has been a top priority for LRA for many years.
At the same time, Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) signaled strong support for increasing NIH funding at a hearing with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, recognizing the urgent need to accelerate progress against lupus and other serious diseases. Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) cautioned that failing to adequately fund NIH would “undermine the foundation of our nation’s global leadership in biomedical research and technology.”
The Lupus Research Alliance is pleased to stand with a broad coalition of patient and research organizations advocating for robust federal funding for medical research. In addition to direct engagement with Congress, the Lupus Research Alliance also signed onto a community-wide letter calling on Congress to strengthen funding for DoD research programs to ensure continued progress and prevent disruptions to critical studies.
Together, these efforts reflect LRA’s ongoing commitment and a growing consensus: strong, sustained federal investment in medical research is essential to improving patient outcomes, advancing innovation, and bringing us closer to a world free of lupus.
Tags: Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Department of Defense Lupus Research Program, Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Susan Collins