Urge Your Representative to Sign the Letter Supporting MS Research Funding

The following Representatives have signed the "Dear Colleague" letter urging support for multiple sclerosis research funding. If your Representative is NOT on this list, click here and enter your ZIP code to send them a quick reminder to sign the letter. If your Representative has already signed on, keep an eye out for an upcoming MS Action Alert to thank all the signers.

• Russ Carnahan (MO)
• Lois Capps (CA)
• Tom Davis (VA)
• John Hall (NY)
• Jim Langevin (RI)
• Carolyn McCarthy (NY)
• Jim McDermott (WA)
• Todd Platts (PA)
• Peter Roskam (IL)
• Peter Welch (VT)

The letter is from Congressman Russ Carnahan (MO) to Congressman John Murtha (PA), chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and a key decisionmaker on this issue. While it does cover the same request as the "Dear Colleague" letter that MS activists supported at the MS Public Policy Conference back in March, this letter is different — it is specifically directed toward the committee chair.

Congressman Murtha has indicated that he will fight to include at least $10 million for MS research during the Defense appropriations conference report. This is an important step because MS funding is currently not in the version of the appropriations bill that the House passed. This letter from his colleagues in the House will help encourage Congressman Murtha to support the issue and thank him for his commitment.

You and other MS activists have been pushing for $15 million to fund MS research in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) at the DoD for most of this year. Thank you. This will be one of your last opportunities to influence the issue in the House. Click here for more background on this issue.