The Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies met in an open session at 10:00AM on Wednesday, Oct 7th, 2015 in Room SD-124 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The hearing was entitled NIH: Investing in a Healthier Future.

During the subcommittee hearing, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) asked Collins about the effect Congress's failure to come to terms on a budget would have on the NIH, specifically citing the possibility of a year-long continuing resolution that would keep the agency's budget at 2015 levels during the coming fiscal year. The NIH can "struggle along" with the continuing resolution passed last week, Collins said. "But if it is a year-long CR without an [exception for NIH funding], it's a dark year, indeed." Other NIH-funded efforts that would suffer without a budget agreement are ones related to vaccine development, Collins said.

Last updated: October 19, 2015