Congress must override Bush veto of appropriations bill

On Nov. 15, the House of Representatives failed to secure a two-thirds majority vote necessary to override President Bush's veto of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. The bill would have appropriated $30 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reversing years of erosion in the nation's research investment. Included in this total was a modest $16 million increase for Alzheimer research.

The president and Congress must now finish the job they were elected to do. A new bill will be written, giving both the president and lawmakers another opportunity to take action to stop Alzheimer's, a disease that has no cure or effective treatment.

Alzheimer advocates will be asked to contact their members of Congress and the White House to remind our elected officials that no matter what happens, it is imperative that the $30 billion be retained for research. Anything else jeopardizes not only next year's funding but future funding levels, as this figure would become the baseline of operation.

Our leaders must not be allowed to continue this dangerous downward spiral. Instead of fewer and fewer research grants, forfeited clinical trials, research lab layoffs and phasing out of research programs, we must see to it that the president and Congress properly fund the pursuit of effective treatments that yield scientific breakthroughs.

An investment must be made today for tomorrow's cure.

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