Congressman David Obey (D-WI), who consistently championed increased funding at federal research institutions, and was instrumental in passing last year's stimulus bill (with its $10 billion for the National Institutes of Health), announced Wednesday (May 5) that he will not be seeking reelection in this fall's Congressional elections.

Image: US House of Representatives

Obey who served in Congress for more than 40 years, fought for increased federal funding for research as chair of the Appropriations Committee in the US House of Representatives. He was instrumental in pushing the stimulus bill as chairman of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

Obey also had a hand in doubling the NIH budget in the salad days of the 1990s and voted in favor of bills that sought to provide federal funding for stem cell research. This March, science advocacy group Research!America awarded Obey its annual Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy for being "a driving force behind strengthening federal investments in medical research and in expanding access to affordable health care."

In a statement posted on his Congressional website, Obey said that he was stepping away from Capitol Hill with a feeling of accomplishment after helping to pass health care reform legislation this year. Furthermore, the 71-year-old noted that he has grown "weary of having to beg on a daily basis that both parties recognize that we do no favor for the country if we neglect to make the long-term investments in education, science, health, and energy that are necessary to modernize our economy."

"U.S. Representative David Obey (D-WI) has been a driving force behind strengthening federal investments in medical research during his 21 terms in Congress," Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America, said in an email to The Scientist. "When he retires in December, we will lose one of our truly great champions for research in the Congress."

"He will be sorely missed," echoed Joanne Carney, director of the Center for Science, Technology, and Congress at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "It's hard to articulate the leadership and support and frankly the candid honesty that he bestowed during his years in Congress."

Carney told The Scientist that Obey also regularly defended NIH-funded research projects at risk of losing their federal support on the floor of the Congress. Obey recognized the value of peer-reviewed research and understood, Carney said, "the danger of Congress picking and choosing whether a grant was worthy simply because they didn't like the title."

Obey's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


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