Amendment #4369 Passed in US Senate to Preserve Federal Funding of Medical Research Through the Department of Defense

The Lymphoma Research Foundation thanks Senate leaders for swift action to preserve federal funding of biomedical research conducted through the Department of Defense (DoD). Thanks to the efforts of advocates across the country, the bi-partisan amendment, led by Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill) and Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS), passed in the Senate on a 66-32 vote yesterday afternoon. Its passage blocked an effort that would have prohibited biomedical research funding at the DoD unless the research met narrowly defined criteria related to military relevance and would have subjected doctors and scientists to the level of scrutiny currently reserved for complex, multi-million dollar weapons systems. This funding included the DoD’s Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program which includes lymphoma. To view the list of senators who voted for the amendment, click here.