SMCI Meets with Senate Appropriations Staff
The Solve ME/CFS Initiative has posted an update on the Senate proposal to zero-out CDC funding for ME/CFS. According to the information SMCI received at their meetings in DC, the money can not be restored unless budget caps are lifted, although the CDC said on a call October 8 that they have assigned contracts for the multi-year study for next year. It is possible that CDC will shift funds around to pay for the study even if the cuts go through. We are working on getting more information on the funding situation and will update the community as soon we get more details. Please note that NIH funding is not affected by this proposal.
In addition to learning more about the proposed CDC funding cuts, SMCI staff and board members also learned more about how patients and advocacy organizations can participate in the Appropriations cycle going forward. This will help ensure that Congress hears from us before NIH and CDC appropriations are set in stone.
From SMCI’s report:
The $5.4 million in ME/CFS Centers for Disease Control funding had been zeroed out in the Senate’s version of the Appropriations budget. This would mean that the CDC’s multi-year multi-site study on ME/CFS would not be completed. Appropriations staff members reported that unless the budget caps are lifted—a decision that is still pending in Congress—the ME/CFS CDC funding will likely not be restored.
