Advocacy in Uncertain Times Mary Woolley, President and CEO, Research!America Oct. 13, 2016 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Fellows Washington, DC
Welcome to Washington! “Every public health decision is made on a political decision.” William Foege, MD, MPH Senior Fellow, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Former Director, CDC
Advocacy Works!
Science and Public Health at Risk puts our Nation at Risk • Appropriations process is stalled; Congress may flat-fund the government for the remainder of FY17 • Zika funding late and inadequate; other examples • Sequestration (which places an artificially low ceiling on federal spending) is back next year after a two year “pause” • Medical device excise tax returns end of 2017 • 21 st Century Cures is still not law
Gasping for Breath 21 st Century Cures Initiative (House E&C Committee) • Legislation to refine the discovery, development and delivery • pipeline and provide supplemental funding to accelerate medical progress. Resulted in 21 st Century Cures Act (H.R. 6) • • Passed the House of Representatives in July 2015 with broad bipartisan vote of 344-77 includes 5 years mandatory funding for NIH ($1.75b/yr) and FDA • ($550m/yr) over appropriations Innovation Initiative (Senate HELP Committee) • Companion process to 21 st Century Cures Act; HELP Committee • passed 19 separate bills that largely mirror provisions in HR 6 House and Senate leadership negotiating compromise package for consideration during “ lameduck ” session of Congress
Current Advocacy Agenda Prevent a long- term “continuing resolution” that flat -funds government • for the remainder of FY17. Secure robust increases for NIH, FDA, CDC, AHRQ, and NSF in FY17 and • FY18 Provide input to presidential transition teams • Secure passage of compromise 21 st Century Cures Act • Protect health services research (HSR) and social, behavioral, economic • (SBE) research from ongoing threats of budget cuts Build champions for research in Congress • Push for establishing a standing public health emergency fund to empower • faster response to emerging health threats like Zika Push for permanent repeal of medical device excise tax •
Current Context for Advocacy • Questioning of all public expenditures • Importance of job creation, economic growth and competitiveness • Election-year politics • Cost and access questions can crowd out other health issues, including research • Scientists are invisible in our society • History points to importance of patient advocacy
Campaign for Cures: 2016 Voter Education Initiative Elevate medical research in the national • conversation during the election season Encourage voters to ask candidates • their views on issues affecting the pace of medical progress Increase public awareness of how public and private • sector research contributes to the health and economic security of our nation Visit www.campaignforcures.org for more information! Twitter.com/Campaign4Cures Facebook.com/Campaign4Cures
Campaign for Cures Research!America recently launched an online interactive map of candidates’ views on medical progress where visitors can view more than 500 quotes on issues related to public and private sector research and innovation from candidates who win their state primaries. The Campaign for Cures blog features election news, survey data, commentary and analysis of the presidential race and congressional races in key states on topics relevant to medical progress.
“Advancing science and technology will be among my highest priorities as President…I share the concerns of the science and technology community, including many in the industry, that the United States is underinvesting in research. Federal funding of basic research amounts to less than one percent of annual federal spending, yet it is an investment that pays big dividends. I believe it is essential that we strengthen our research capacity, by funding talented young investigators, looking for ways to prioritize “high -risk, high- reward” projects that have the potential to transform entire fields, and enhancing partnerships between government, universities, and the private sector.” - ScienceDebate.org Presidential Nominee, Hillary Clinton
“…Scientific advances do require long term investment. This is why we must have programs such as a viable space program and institutional research that serve as incubators to innovation and the advancement of science and engineering in a number of fields. We should also bring together stakeholders and examine what the priorities ought to be for the nation. Conservation of resources and finding ways to feed the world beg our strong commitment as do dedicated investment in making the world a healthier place. The nation is best served by a President and administration that have a vision for a greater, better America .” – Sciencedebate.org Presidential Nominee, Donald J. Trump
Party Platforms on Research • DNC platform supports investments in medical research, including “full funding” of NIH; addressing drug addiction and mental health, investing in AIDS/HIV research and global health issues (Zika, Ebola) • RNC platform supports partnerships among small businesses and federal research agencies, advancing research and development in health care, reforming FDA and combatting drug abuse
Our challenge to would-be advocates: Pass the “Starbucks Test”
“I don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative-- Alzheimer’s and cancer don’t pick people that way….everyone has a personal story. And in a very divided time, a polarized time, people are looking for things to work together on and support, and NIH and CDC are two of those things .” -- Accepting the Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy during Research!America’s 2016 Advocacy Awards Dinner Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK-04), Chairman, Labor-H Appropriations Subcommittee
“ It is critical that we secure and build on the United States’ leadership in medical innovation. To do this, I believe Congress has to look at how we can ramp up investment in the kind of research and development that helps drive this private sector growth.” Rep. Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member HELP Committee and Ranking Member Labor-H Appropriations Subcommittee
NIH Buildings* Named for Policymakers Democrats: 7 Republicans: 5 Warren Grant Magnuson (D, WA) Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R, CN) • U.S. Rep (1937-1944) • U.S. Representative (1969-1971) • U.S. Senator (1944-1981) • U.S. Senator (1971-1989) • Connecticut Governor (1991-1995) Lawton Chiles (D, FL) • U.S. Senator (1971-1989) Mark Hatfield (R, OR) • Florida Governor (1991-1998) • Oregon Governor (1959-1967) • U.S. Senator (1967-1997) Claude Denson Pepper (D, FL) • U.S. Senator (1936-1951) C.W. Bill Young (R, FL) • U.S. Representative (1963-1989) • U.S. Representative (1971-2013) Joseph Lister Hill (D, AL) John Edward Porter (R, IL) • U.S. Representative (1923-1938) • U.S. Representative (1980-2001) • U.S. Senator (1938-1969) • Chair of Research!America Dale Bumpers (D, AR) Silvio O. Conte (R, MA) • Arkansas Governor (1971-1975) • U.S. Representative (1959-1991) • U.S. Senator (1975-1999) *Plaza named for Paul G. Rogers William Natcher (D, KY) • U.S. Representative (1953-1994) (D, FL, U.S. Representative 1955-1979) Former Chair of Louis Stokes (D, OH) • U.S. Representative (1969-1999) Research!America • Board Member (2007-2010)
Research!America’s Mission Making research to improve health a higher national priority Research!America is an innovator in advocacy for research
Research!America: 27 Years of Putting Research on the Public Agenda • Nonprofit alliance with member organizations drawn from academia, business, patient organizations and scientific societies representing more than 125 million Americans • Distinguished, all-volunteer board includes former elected and appointed officials, media and public relations leaders, and leaders from alliance member organizations • Three ‘sister’ organizations in Canada, Australia and Sweden
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