APLU Hails Provision in House Panel’s Bill that Protects NIH Research Funding

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson today released the following statement regarding the release of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies’ Fiscal Year 2018 bill, which maintains support for facilities and administrative fees associated with NIH research.

“In rejecting the proposal to dramatically slash federal funding for facilities and administrative (F&A) expenses, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies made it clear that it recognizes these are actual research costs universities incur.

“Much like handing someone the keys to a car without wheels, a research project that lacks an actual laboratory will go nowhere. The language in the Labor-HHS Fiscal Year 2018 bill will help ensure life-saving research is not put in serious jeopardy as F&A funding supports high-tech labs, ensures security for sensitive and dangerous chemicals and microbes, pays for and radiation safety and hazardous waste disposal, and maintains high-speed data processing and storage among many other crucial activities essential to performing NIH research.

“For decades, universities have conducted critical life-saving research on behalf of the federal government to the benefit of the American people. We are grateful to Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro and the LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee for their commitment to continuing that research partnership by maintaining support for F&A funding.”