APLU Urges Swift Passage of 21st Century Cures Act

Washington, DC – Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) President Peter McPherson issued the following statement regarding the new 21st Century Cures Act.

“The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) strongly supports the increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the new 21^st Century Cures Act and urges Congress to pass this important bill this year.

“The increased annual authorization levels for NIH and the proposed multi-year funding for NIH Innovation Projects will both help the nation’s premier biomedical research agency catch up from a decade of declining budgets and keep up with the current and evolving promise of biomedical research. If enacted, this measure would help reassert the United States’ role as the global innovation leader and represent an important step toward preventing an innovation deficit.

“The House-Senate agreement would provide overdue resources for NIH to advance critical lifesaving research, improve the health of patients and their families, grow the U.S. economy through needed innovations, and strengthen our global competitiveness. The increased investments would serve as a clear indicator that the U.S. is firmly committed to advancing the biomedical research mission, which in turn will encourage the growth of the next generation of the biomedical research workforce.

“Additionally, we greatly appreciate the provisions in the bill to provide regulatory relief, which will accelerate research and ensure more dollars are spent on cutting edge science rather than cutting red tape.

“APLU urges prompt House passage this week and subsequent Senate passage of the 21^st Century Cures Act.”