We dodged a bullet… for now!

I’m pleased to report that the House just approved the FY12 DoD Appropriations Bill by a vote of 331-83. No amendments were offered to reduce or eliminate CDMRP (the Department of Defense Medical Research Program) funding. At this time we have managed to maintain the funding for the Prostate Cancer Research Programs!

If you wish you could chalk this up to luck, but in my personal opinion our grassroots advocacy did make a difference. Thank you all for your support and help. I believe our combined actions along with all the many other groups supporting the DoD allowed us to hit every member of the House and achieve our ultimate goal. According to those closer to the Washington process, negotiations the House Appropriations Committee certainly received signals that amendments were in the works, so I think our efforts may have convinced those considering amendments to back down. A clear victory for our cause.

Now, we need to remember that by no means are we out of the woods. No question, there will be additional challenges in the Senate. As we approach August the debt ceiling negotiations we could still see dramatic cuts to FY12 discretionary spending beyond those already allocated by the appropriations committees. This is just a first step, and we have a long fight ahead.

For now though, enjoy this victory as we gear up for the next fight!

Joel T Nowak, M.A., M.S.W.