On May 5, NIH Director Francis Collins testified before the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee in support of the FY'11 NIH budget.  Subcommittee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA) raised concerns about avoiding the challenges of "falling off the cliff" after stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) expires.  Senator Harkin said that there are many funding needs beyond health research and "we just don't - aren't going to have funds to do it."   Dr. Collins said that success rates are expected to drop 21 percent this year to as low as 15 percent in FY 2011.  Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA.) called upon the biomedical research community to advocate for significant increases to the NIH budget.  Senator Specter called the President's proposed $1 billion, 3.2% increase increase "disgraceful."   You can read Dr. Collins testimony and Senator Harkin's opening statement, as well as view the webcast of the hearing at :

 http://appropriations.senate.gov/ht-labor.cfm?method=hearings.view&id=ccfabaa6-bbfe-46fa-8cf8-5925a7f89a1c