Thank you for Your Work on Behalf of the NIH

Thank you for supporting the NIH

Despite the heroic efforts of many of you, the House of Representatives failed to override the veto of the FY 2008 Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill (Labor-HHS). The final vote was 277-141; just two votes shy of the 2/3rds majority required to override a Presidential veto.

It is extremely difficult to override a Presidential veto, yet the vote tally clearly shows your voices were heard. You deserve much praise for heeding the call to action, and Congress deserves credit for listening to the scientific community.

Next Steps

First, if your Member of Congress voted to override the veto, please take a few minutes to thank them. Not enough people thank their Representatives for doing the right thing. This is especially important if your Member of Congress was listed on the "Critical Republican" list. For your convenience, there is a sample thank you letter at http://capwiz.com/jscpp/home/.

Second, we will have to wait to see what happens next for the NIH budget. During the House debate, House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (D-WI) said that if the veto were not overridden, it would mean $700 million less for the NIH than the $30 billion included in the Labor-HHS bill. It remains to be seen what will actually happen.

We still have challenges ahead of us in this budget season. I will be in touch with in the days and weeks to come to let you know what is happening and what actions need to be taken.

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard in support of overriding the veto.

Lynn Marquis
National Coordinator
Joint Steering Committee for Public Policy