OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Since President Trump took office, there has been a push, by the administration, to cut back on government spending. Many government agencies taking a hit. But now, local businesses are teaming up, stressing the importance of federal funding for research.
- The Business for Federal Research Funding Coalition is made up of 50 chambers of commerce and business organizations across the country.
- The coalition is “advocating to maintain robust research funding levels in the federal budget.”
- “Federal research funding is one of the best investments we can make in America’s future. It drives groundbreaking innovation, fuels job creation, strengthens our national competitiveness, and directly impacts the Omaha region,” Heath Mello, president and CEO of the Greater Omaha Chamber said in a statement.
- Dr. Jeffrey Gold said the coalition is good news.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Greater Omaha Chamber is joining over 50 other business groups across the country to relaunch the Business for Federal Research Funding Coalition.
What is the Business for Federal Research Funding Coalition? The press release says it's a group “advocating to maintain robust research funding levels in the federal budget.”
It’s something KMTV has been reporting on since the Trump administration took office in January, especially when it comes to National Institute of Health (NIH) grants.
“It will cost us this year approximately $27 million; think of it like a $27 million budget cut that has to be made up somewhere,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gold, president of the University of Nebraska System, in February as news of potential NIH grant cuts rippled through the University System.
Reporter Molly Hudson talked to him again on Monday, telling him about the Business for Federal Research Funding Coalition, something he says is positive news.
“They understand that what happens in the research laboratories, in the great universities of our country, is truly the seed corn that ultimately pays into all sorts of new products that can be commercialized,” Gold said.
These members are not the only groups coming together. In a news conference Thursday, the Nebraska Farm Bureau will release an agricultural and international trade report explaining the importance of free trade agreements to Nebraska's economy.
