I am a strong supporter of increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the primary government biomedical research facility in the United States, the NIH serves as the cornerstone of important and innovative medical programs and advances. With current biomedical researchers on the cusp of finding new methods to curtail diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, there has never been a more important moment to increase NIH funding. Today, thanks to NIH funding, we are in the midst of a "biological revolution," where genetic medicine, drug discovery and disease research have all been vastly enhanced.

- The 106th Congress approved a $2.5 billion increase in NIH funding for Fiscal Year 2001, raising the total funds for this organization to $20 billion overall.

- Over the past two years, the budget of NIH has increased $4.3 billion.

- President Bush has requested an additional $3.7 billion increase for NIH in Fiscal Year 2003, bringing total funding levels to $27.3 billion.

- With the doubling of NIH's funding, almost 10,000 more research grants can be awarded in each coming year. These grants are critical in the advancement of cures, vaccines and treatments.

I am encouraged by these efforts to complete the goal of doubling funding for the NIH, but we must do more to ensure this critical funding. This issue remains one of my highest priorities.

To learn more about the National Institutes of Health, please visit www.nih.gov.