July 11, 2003

Mr. Joshua B. Bolten, Director
The Office of Management and Budget
725 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20503

Dear Director Bolten:

On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we are writing to express our concern over your recent decision to redirect funds from both the FY2003 and FY2004 budgets of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) toward the research and development (including procurement) of anthrax vaccines, and to encourage you to reverse this decision. As you know, NIAID funds vital research on AIDS and other infectious diseases. The Institute's critical support of research advancements in these areas must not be hindered by unilateral budget cuts.

While we fully acknowledge the urgency and importance of addressing potential bioterrorism threats such as anthrax, funding that priority by shifting money from research on diseases that cause untold deaths around the world every day is not acceptable policy. The cuts proposed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will reduce the number and duration of current infectious disease research grants and will severely affect promising research on AIDS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus, asthma, and other debilitating and life-threatening diseases that affect thousands of Americans each year. Successful advances in research take time as well as stable and continuous funding, and restrictions on critical grants will cause cutting edge research to suffer.

OMB's apparent decision to require NIH to assume responsibility for procuring the anthrax vaccine contradicts the institution's primary mission of advancing scientific knowledge through research. NIH scientists are experts in research. NIH has no prior experience in procurement whatsoever. The Department of Homeland Security has taken over management of the national vaccine stockpile and is the appropriate agency to oversee anthrax vaccine procurement. We strongly encourage OMB and the Administration to work together with Congress to resolve this issue, and to ensure that funding for the procurement of the anthrax vaccine does not come at the expense of research on other life-threatening illnesses.

The United States has long served as the leading force against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. It is essential that NIAID be allowed to fully commit its research funding to the advancement of knowledge in this critical area.

Sincerely,

AIDS Action
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition
Alliance for Microbicide Development
American Foundation for AIDS Research
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Gay Men's Health Crisis
HIV Medicine Association
Infectious Diseases Society of America
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Treatment Action Group

cc: Tommy Thompson, Secretary
     Department of Health & Human Services
     200 Independence Avenue, SW
     Washington, DC 20201