Nature Medicine | Spoonful of Medicine

What can the lame duck US Congress do for biomedicine?

lameduck.jpgWith Republicans set to take control of the US House of Representatives next year, the Democratic-led Congress has entered the awkward end of its life cycle — technically still in power, but lacking the clout to push forward any major initiatives. But even a lame duck can attempt a short flight, and the 111th Congress may still be able to pass legislation with implications for biomedical research.

One such bill is the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act, which authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ‘conduct and support research that utilizes human stem cells, including human embryonic stem cells’ — albeit only for projects that use stem cells derived from embryos obtained through in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics that would otherwise have been discarded. Such a move could provide grounds for lifting a federal injunction against stem cell research that has been in place since late August (the injunction is technically still in effect, but has been stayed since 9 September). On Friday, the heads of dozens of American medical colleges sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to pass the act.


But Congress could stymie stem cell research by another route if it renews the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds for research that creates or destroys human embryos. The amendment has been an obstacle to many researchers, and was cited by the judge that enacted the stem cell research injunction in August. The Dickey-Wicker amendment, first passed in 1995 and renewed every year since then, is attached to the appropriations bill that provides funds for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Some scientists may be already looking ahead nervously to 2011. The new Republican-heavy Congress will be looking to reduce spending, and scientific agencies’ budgets could face freezing or even cuts. Scientific American conducted a lengthy interview with Allen Schick, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, to suss out what the political shift means for research funding. He thinks that agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be asking Congress to support ‘niche initiatives’, projects that focus on specific research goals and with costs in the millions, rather than simply asking for budget increases.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of these niche programs… in the face of cuts, it looks like you’re doing something. In Congress they call them sweeteners—a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” Shick told Scientific American.

Researchers will likely get a taste of the Republicans’ strong medicine shortly after the 112th Congress convenes on 3 January.

Image by jenny downing via Flickr Creative Commons

Comments

There are currently no comments.