Cliff Stearns: “no one, including myself, would ever fault the National Institutes of Health, NIH, and the valuable research being done…”

“no one, including myself, would ever fault the National Institutes of Health, NIH, and the valuable research being done by them. I know how important NIH is to our Nation's future, including its economic well-being. Advances in medical research to prevent, cure, or at least minimize the degree of financial devastation caused by such diseases experienced in the United States is a major reason why it is so necessary that we fund these vital research projects. That being said, however, I must admit that I have been troubled by several newspaper stories I have read recently concerning the manner in which NIH chooses its spending priorities. One such article appeared in the Washington Post on July 9, and used as its source a recently released report from the Institute of Medicine, IOM. The roughly 200-page report, entitled 'Scientific Opportunities and Public Needs,' warns that NIH must do a better job of justifying its spending decisions or it could lose its historically elevated credibility.”