Lloyd Bentsen: “I want to, Madam Speaker, rise today in strong support of H. Res. 89 which was a sense of the House Resolution that the…”

“I want to, Madam Speaker, rise today in strong support of H. Res. 89 which was a sense of the House Resolution that the House of Representatives should provide an additional $2 billion for the National Institutes of Health budget for the fiscal year 2000. This $2 billion additional investment would be the second down payment on a 5-year effort to double the NIH's budget. As one of the four cochairs of the Congressional Biomedical Caucus, I have strongly supported providing maximum resources for biomedical research conducted at the NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense research budget. This $2 billion investment in NIH's budget will help save lives and improve our international competitiveness. Our Nation's biomedical research is the envy of the world, but we must continue this investment to ensure that we maintain this preeminence. This resolution would help to ensure more scientists have the resources they need to conduct cutting-edge research. Today, only one-third of NIH peer-reviewed, merit-based grants are funded.”