AACR, Founding Organizer and Lead Sponsor of the 12th Annual Rally for Medical Research Hill Day, to Advocate for Increase in Federal Funding for NIH
More than 350 organizations join forces again this year to improve health, inspire hope, and save lives
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the founding organizer and lead sponsor of the 12th annual Rally for Medical Research Hill Day taking place today, September 19, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will join more than 350 other organizations to advocate for robust, sustained, and predictable annual funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Hill Day participants will thank members of Congress for providing NIH with an increase of $17 billion between fiscal year (FY) 2016 and FY 2023 while asking them to continue their steadfast support of NIH by providing the agency with the highest possible increase to its base program budget in FY 2025. The medical research community has recommended at least $51.3 billion for its base program budget. Hill Day participants will also request House and Senate leadership complete work on FY 2025 spending bills as quickly as possible to avoid delays and disruptions caused by continuing resolutions.
“Today’s Rally for Medical Research Hill Day provides an opportunity for the entire medical research advocacy community to join together to call on their respective members of Congress to provide a robust funding increase for NIH in FY 2025,” said Jon Retzlaff, chief policy officer, AACR. “By following through on our request, our nation’s policymakers will ensure that U.S. researchers have access to the resources that are required to make scientific discoveries that, in turn, lead to life-saving cures and improve the health and well-being of people across the country and around the world.”
During the Hill Day, more than 250 scientists, health professionals, and patient advocates from nearly every state will meet with House and Senate members and their staff to emphasize the importance and impact of investing in NIH:
- NIH funding contributed to 354 of 356 new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2010 and 2019.
- Investment in medical research can reduce future health care costs. Most health care dollars are spent treating chronic diseases. Medical research must be a strong national priority to better prevent and manage these costly diseases.
- The funding provided to NIH fuels the U.S. economy and creates jobs in communities across the country. In FY 2023, NIH-funded research supported more than 412,000 jobs and more than $92 billion in economic activity across the United States.
In conjunction with the Hill Day, advocates across the country will participate in the Rally National Day of Action. Partnering organizations will encourage their communities to contact their members of Congress via phone, email, and social media to express their support for federal funding for medical research.
The Rally for Medical Research initiative was launched in April 2013 to bring together the entire medical research community to urge Congress to make NIH funding a national priority. Through the annual Hill Day, the Rally for Medical Research continues to raise awareness about the critical need for continued investment in NIH to improve health, spur progress, inspire hope, and save lives.
