A spending bill approved by a House committee would require the agency to “accelerate” the replacement of nonhuman primates in laboratories starting in October.

The ongoing stalemate over the federal budget has forced one-quarter of the US government to begin a second week of closure.

The midterm elections flip several House seats in favor of Democratic candidates with STEM backgrounds.

Opponents of the proposal call the changes a “wildlife extinction package.”

Appointed by Ronald Reagan, Heckler led the agency from 1983 to 1985, and helped promote research into AIDS.

NASA, NSF, and NIH are expected to receive higher financial backing for the 2019 fiscal year, going above and beyond the President’s proposed budget.  

Medical groups have criticized the legislation, which will give terminal patients access to experimental treatments, as dangerous and unnecessary.

A science-oriented political action committee is supporting candidates across the country.

The $1.23 trillion budget includes an increase in NIH funding, but the package is unlikely to make it unscathed through the Senate.