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The following is the gist of an article appearing in a sample issue of the newsletter Washington Fax dated December 23, 1998 and available at http://www.washingtonfax.com According to an "unidentified source", a closed door session on December 22 involving top NIH Director Harold Varmus, five institute directors and Senate Budget Committee staff members left doubts in the minds of some of the staffers regarding the ability of NIH to manage the doubling in 5 years of NIH funding which many in Congress are pushing for and doubts as to whether NIH should receive for fiscal year 2000 an increase like the $2 billion that NIH got for 1999. A formal hearing could be held to question NIH further on management issues. Senate Budget Committee chairman Sen. Pete Domenici, R-NM, who is also on the Appropriations Committee and was not at the meeting, has expressed concern that a such rapid increases would result in wasteful spending that would jeopardize future support in Congress for NIH. Phil Tompkins Hoboken NJ age 61/dx 1990