House Approves 15% Budget Increase for the NIH -- but With a Hitch

By PAULETTE WALKER CAMPBELL and PATRICK HEALY

The House of Representatives last week approved a 15-per-cent budget increase for the National Institutes of Health, but with a potentially disruptive caveat for the agency: A huge chunk of its budget would be withheld until next fall.

The House voted 218 to 211 in favor of the plan, which would give about $2.3-billion more to the N.I.H., for a total of $17.9-billion. In order to finance the bill without dipping into Social Security surpluses or raising taxes, however, House and Senate