Doris Matsui: “Mr. Speaker, the phrase most often associated with this bill has been ``feast or famine.'' For instance, Congress first…”

“Mr. Speaker, the phrase most often associated with this bill has been ``feast or famine.'' For instance, Congress first doubled funding for the National Institutes of Health between 1999 and 2003 and then flat-lined the agency's funds since then. It was actually cut for the first time in history in fiscal year 2006. In contrast, this year's bill sticks to the principle of sustainable growth in strategic areas: health research, worker safety and education. I would like to applaud Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Walsh for their hard work in crafting this fair and responsible blueprint for our Nation's future. Nowhere is this broader strategy of sustainable growth more evident than at the NIH. The underlying legislation provides a modest 2.6 percent increase over last year's level. Such an increase is critical to maintaining America's global leadership in biomedical research. This research will expand the boundaries of human knowledge and keep America at the forefront of the field. Unfortunately, low or frozen funding levels resulted in almost 1,300 fewer grants from 2003 to 2006.”