On Nov. 25, Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos and Emory University President James W. Wagner sent a letter to Reps. Diane Black (R-TN) and Tom Price (R-GA) regarding the ongoing budget challenges in Washington, D.C. Reps. Black and Price are members of a select bicameral budget conference committee that was created as part of the congressional agreement to re-open the government following the 16-day shutdown in October. The budget conference committee is tasked with drafting a budget framework by Dec. 13 to avoid another government shutdown when federal funding runs out on Jan. 15, 2014.
In their letter, Zeppos and Wagner urge Reps. Black and Price to work toward a “responsible federal budget framework” and to take steps to replace the across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration. Zeppos highlights the impact that sequestration has had on Vanderbilt’s core missions of education, providing high quality medical care and conducting cutting edge research. According to Zeppos, sequestration “has meant fewer graduate and professional students admitted, reductions in faculty and staff, and tremendous pressures on the research enterprise that will be felt long into the future.” Reducing or eliminating across-the-board budget cuts and developing a responsible budget framework will ensure that Vanderbilt University can continue to serve as a hub of innovation and as an economic engine in Tennessee.
Read the letter to Reps. Black and Price.
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Jeffrey Balser and Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Beth Fortune also met with Rep. Black. In that discussion, Balser and Fortune reinforced the university’s message that she work with her congressional colleagues toward a bipartisan budget solution that does not adversely impact the core missions of academic health centers and research institutions by cutting federal support for research or the provision of health care services.
Contact: Christina West, (202) 216-4370
christina.d.west@vanderbilt.edu