The completed spending package for FY 2015 passed December 16 provides funding through the balance of the fiscal year that ends September 30. Only the Department of Homeland Security is funded through a continuing resolution through February 27. The spending agreement reflects the austerity minded Congress and really reflects previously agreed to overall spending levels negotiated last year.

For NIH, the bill provides an increase of $150 million above the FY 2014 level. This 0.5% increase also provides an additional $238 million in Ebola Funding to NIH, effectively increasing NIH’s budget increase by 1.3% or $387.7 million. Many other science agencies also received less than inflation increases, including FDA which saw its FY’15 budget increase by $37 million (1.5%) above FY’14 (plus $25m for Ebola). Most of that increase is directed toward food safety programs.

The new 114th Congress will reconvene shortly and faces recurring legislative questions. New ingredients into the mix include a Republican controlled Congress that will have to agree upon new budget numbers for both defense and nondefense discretionary spending (NDD). For two years, Congress has closely followed a two year budget agreement (and avoided sequestration) that hard as it is to believe, made the appropriations process, relatively smooth. A new budget battle pitting one block of Congress that supports increased spending on defense against another faction wanting to increase NDD spending is likely the headlines we will see in the weeks and months ahead. This would be the key battle impacting NIH and other science programs. Currently a firewall exists between defense and NDD. But if these firewalls are removed and the strict overall spending caps we have seen these past couple years remain in place, then it is possible money intended for NDD would be moved to defense spending. Obviously this would mean an even more difficult budget scenario for NIH and other NDD programs. Any new budget deal must of course address the possibility of another possible sequestration which remains as law.

How this plays out is anyone’s guess. Although we can assume there will be a possibility that spending decisions will not be resolved in time before FY 2016 begins on October 1, a looming mid-summer debt ceiling crisis and other potential ”fiscal cliffs”, etc., the Republican Congress has great incentive to deal and prove they can lead and govern as the Presidential election moves into high gear.

All this suggests another tough year and a reminder that biomedical scientists need to continually advocate to their legislators the critical importance of a robust, steady and sustained federal investment in biomedical research. More information about FY 2016 advocacy efforts in the weeks ahead!