The current White House proposal calls for a flat NIH budget. After factoring in inflation, flat funding is an equivalent of a funding cut. Research is already heavily under duress, with NIH funding rates at a record low. This petition provides a unique opportunity to gain the attention of the White House. If the petition receives 25,000 signatures by March 18th, the White House will review it. Currently there are over 18,000 signatures.
You will need to create a White House account. This takes about 3 minutes. After you create your account, log on and sign the petition. Please consider passing this along to other investigators and colleagues.
Here is the URL: http://wh.gov/81O
You may also want to email Congressman McDermott. Jim is a liberal favorite, but seems blissfully unaware of how these budget issues affect the UWSOM!