National MS Society: Help Needed to Encourage U.S. Senate to Support Record Funding for MS Research in Department of Defense
From the National MS Society:
With support from MS activists, in June, the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to an amendment that would double MS research funding for Fiscal Year 2015 in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). This amendment increased funding from $5 million to $10 million - the largest amount to date!
Watch Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13) in action as she presents this amendment on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Senate still needs to act before final funding can be decided. MS activists (you!) should contact Senators - particularly members of the MS Caucus - and encourage them to match the House's commitment. Email your Senators now or contact them via social media.
Background
MS activists advocated for Congress to establish the MS CDMRP as a new stream of research funding in 2008. As a result, Congress added MS as a CDMRP research priority, and since 2008, activists have engaged annually to ensure it has been funded. From 2008 to 2014, it has received $28 million in funding. The mission of the program is to support pioneering concepts and high impact research relevant to the prevention, etiology, pathogenesis, assessment and treatment of multiple sclerosis.