Funding for the National Institutes of Health has more than tripled since 1985.
Researchers often complain other areas of science get far less funding.
Washington politicians can disagree on tax policy, how much to spend for mass transit and how best to fix schools. Other agencies may be feeling crunched by much smaller increases or cutbacks, but NIH's elevated status seems testimony to the notion that politics aren't just local, they're personal. Sooner or later, they know they're going to be stark naked on a gurney looking up at a doctor. Congress will get a taste of the controversy in hearings that take place today and Wednesday. The genome comprises the complete genetic blueprint for humans, and its recent completion is thought to offer as many as 10,000 new drug targets to researchers.