When the 112th Congress first convenes in January, a familiar face will be absent: Sen. Arlen Specter, who was defeated in May’s Democratic primary. Regardless of attitudes toward Specter’s party switching, it’s hard to deny his success at securing research funding from the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.
Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) will now be the Keystone State’s senior senator, and he has expressed interest in following in Specter’s footsteps and becoming a major advocate for increases in NIH funds. He should act on this interest. And although Pennsylvania’s new senator, Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), has made it clear that he wants to reduce government spending, he should consider supporting this cause as well.
The grants researchers receive from groups like the NIH and the National Science Foundation make progress possible and could potentially help save lives. They provide financial backing for important research that might otherwise not get off the ground. And because the bad economy makes it more difficult for private donations and foundations to help researchers, governmental aid right now is all the more crucial.
With Specter’s exit, Penn, along with the rest of the country, is losing one of its biggest champions for research. We need a new champion, and we hope Casey steps up.
