Is President Bush funding less than he promised?
Neither the Bush Administration or Congress has limited the amount of federal funding that can be applied to the research on the 78 EScell lines approved by President Bushs ESCR policy. In 2003 alone, almost $25 million was spent on ESCR, with more funds available as qualified researchers apply. There are now 22 human EScell lines currently being studied with federal funds. As the Director of the NIH, Elias Zerhouni, noted: by putting this policy into place, the President opened up an unlimited source of Federal funds for meritorious research using eligible hESCs [human EScell lines]. To put it simply, NIH has a $28 billion budget and has ample resources for research on the 78 approved human EScell lines through federal grants. The President remains committed to this policy, and it is working. Under his Administration, federal funding for ESCR has grown from zero in 2001 to $24.8 million now,with no cap on future funding. –Elias Zerhouni, M.D., June 2003, emphasis added. Furthermore,
