Trending News Today: Funding Cuts to National Institutes of Health Struck Down in Bipartisan Effort

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump proposed significant cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in order to redirect additional funding towards other areas, such as defense and border security. Lawmakers rejected these cuts and have taken a bipartisan approach to increase funding for biomedical research, according to The New York Times. Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $36.1 billion for the NIH in 2018. Legislators secured the funding due to concerns that the 22% cut may have delayed the development of cures and treatments for various diseases, according to the article.

Tests have confirmed that floodwaters in 2 neighborhoods in Houston, TX, are contaminated with bacteria and toxins that can cause serious illness, according to The New York Times. While it is unclear how far the contaminated waters have spread, there have been breaches at 40 waste treatment plants, which may place residents at an increased risk. In a single neighborhood, the testing showed Escherichia coli contamination was 4 times higher than is deemed safe, while one family’s home had E. coli contamination 135 times higher than what is considered safe, along with high levels of lead, arsenic, and heavy metals, according to the article.

Sen Rand Paul (R-KY) recently said that novel bipartisan healthcare legislation does not do enough to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), The Hill reported. The senator told reporters that the novel bill would likely be worse than not replacing the law. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) also does not believe that the bill would receive enough support to be brought to the floor, according to the article. However, Sens Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are talking with the Congressional Budget Office and plan to propose the bill tomorrow.