December 17, 2015

Statement on the FY2016 Omnibus Bill

Today, President Barack Obama signed into law the FY2016 Omnibus Bill, giving the National Institutes of Health a much needed boost of $2 billion in our fiscal year 2016 budget. This is the most encouraging budget outcome in 12 years. As Director of NIH, I welcome this development with a deep sense of gratitude. I applaud the bipartisan support for NIH and biomedical research that made this possible, and want particularly to thank the leadership of the House and Senate. This increase comes at just the right time to take advantage of remarkable opportunities to improve human health, powered by dramatic advances in scientific knowledge and technological innovation.

It has taken a lot of effort on the part of many voices — patients, advocates, scientists, our many colleagues in the public and private sectors — to make the case for biomedical research. We are unified by the knowledge that there is no better investment to help accelerate the course of medical progress. 

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health