The House and Senate FY16 budget proposals call into question our nation’s commitment to medical innovation. Are we willing to delay the discovery, development and delivery of lifesaving therapies and cures because of insufficient funding, or will we choose to accelerate the pace of medical progress? The proposed cuts for discretionary programs are counterproductive given health threats like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Ebola, mental illness and diabetes afflicting millions of individuals close to home and abroad. Policymakers must work towards lifting sequestration and assigning a higher priority to medical research and innovation. Too many lives hang in the balance.

-Mary Woolley, President and CEO of Research!America