SWHR Calls on Congress to Make Significant Improvements to President’s 2018 Budget Proposal

LOS ANGELES, May 26 -- The Society for Women's Health Research issued the following news release:

On May 23, 2017, President Donald J. Trump released his budget request to Congress for fiscal year (FY) 2018, calling for sizable cuts to discretionary public health research, treatment, and prevention programs supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) is deeply concerned and discouraged to see that the Administration has deprioritized research and development in the 2018 budget through substantial decreases for critical federal agencies," said Dr. Amy M. Miller, SWHR president and CEO.

Budget cuts include slashing funding for NIH by 18 percent and eliminating its global health research arm, the Fogarty International Center.

SWHR is also concerned about the budget's impact on the FDA. "Reducing the agency's public funding by nearly a third after negotiated agreements between FDA, industry, and the patient advocacy community have been reached is misguided and shortsighted," said Dr. Miller.

Without the proper support and funding of medical and scientific research and product regulation, the advances needed to improve the health of women cannot be realized. SWHR urges Members of Congress to negotiate a bipartisan budget deal that continues to recognize the importance of maintaining our nation's leadership by keeping biomedical research and innovation a priority.

"Ensuring the sustainability of programs that foster the availability of safe and effective treatments is essential to women living longer, healthier, and more productive lives," said Dr. Miller. "We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to realize this goal."

For more information on SWHR's advocacy work, visit http://swhr.org. To speak with a spokesperson, please contact Heena Patel at [email protected].