By JOHN REICHARD

The Senate Appropriations Committee, for years a source of bountiful funding for the National Institutes of Health, voted Sept. 21 to trim the medical research agency’s budget  by $190 million, bringing it to $30.5 billion in fiscal 2012.

The Labor-HHS-Education measure approved by the panel would also take the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget down to $6.22 billion from $6.28 billion in fiscal 2011.

Funding for AIDS drug assistance programs would be increased by $15 million to a total of $900 million. But the increase is not enough of an hike to end waiting lists for AIDS medications among people with the virus who lack the means to pay for the drugs.

Outlays for community health centers would total $1.58 billion. Combined with mandatory funding under the health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152), spending would total $2.78 billion — an increase of $200 million.

A committee report on the measure says the panel “regrets that fiscal constraints prevent a higher recommended funding level for NIH. With tight budgets likely to continue for the foreseeable future, the Committee strongly urges NIH to explore creative ways to rethink the way it allocates its funding. The alternative — continuing to nick away, little by little, at the success rate or the size of awards — will inevitably have a negative impact on young investigators.”

The committee cited a new “National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences” within NIH as an example of the type of refocusing the panel is looking for. The committee allots $582 million for the center, which aims to “transform the way NIH pursues the translation of basic science into treatments and cures. Too often, basic biomedical research will suggest a promising path for a treatment or cure, but funding falls short to pursue the idea to its fullest potential.”

A group dedicated to the advancement of medical research quickly put out a statement expressing their disappointment with the NIH cuts.

“NIH funds are not only a vital tool in our pursuit to reduce the burden of disease and its associated health care costs, but also yield essential dividends in our states and communities — from job creation and industry growth to better quality of life for millions of patients and families,” said a statement from United for Medical Research. “In fact, a recent report from UMR detailed NIH’s role as an economic engine. In 2010 alone, the NIH supported nearly a half-million jobs all across the country and produced $69.2 billion in new economic activity, playing a large role in bolstering American competitiveness internationally.”