The US Senate's appropriations committee approved a funding bill that would increase the National Institutes of Health's fiscal 2018 budget by $2 billion to $36.1 billion.  The bill cleared the the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee on September 6 and was approved by the full appropriations committee by a 30-1 vote the following day.

"This bill upholds important investments in programs that affect all Americans," Appropriations Committee Chairman Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) said in a statement. "It deserves consideration by the Senate."

Total allocations include:

• $1.8 billion earmarked for Alzheimer's disease research ($414 million increase from FY17
• $400 million for the BRAIN Initiative ($140M increase from FY17)
• $290 million for the All of Us precision medicine program ($60M increase)
• $80 million to the NCI precision medicine program (Increase of $10M)
• $513 million committed to fighting antibiotic-resistance bacteria ($50M over FY17)

The corresponding House panel has approved a $1.1 billion increase to NIH in 2018. Congress won't complete work on 2018 spending levels until late this year. In the meantime, a stopgap measure is expected before or by 30 September that would keep agencies funded at current levels until FY18 levels are approved.