The Society of Toxicology was one of several professional societies and nongovernmental organizations to sign a letter to the chairmen of both the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees that deals with funding for the Department of Health and Human Services. In brief, the letter urged the Subcommittees to craft bills for fiscal year (FY) 2013 that will help the US compete in a global world in terms of medical and scientific research. In part, the letter reads as follows:
"The undersigned organizations and institutions, which represent patients, scientists, health care providers, and industry, wish to express their concerns about provisions for the National Institutes of Health that were included in the bill adopted by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies on July 18."
The organizations went on to say that while there are difficult decisions facing Congress in these economically challenging times, "We believe the funding level provided for NIH in the legislation falls short of ensuring US global competitiveness in medical research and advancing critical scientific discoveries that improve human health."