The Time For Advocacy Is Now
Last week, the administration fired “probationary” employees across multiple health and science research agencies. There are varying reports on the exact number of firings and some rescissions of these terminations have reportedly occurred, but it appears that more than 3,000 employees in total were affected. “Probationary” in this case means employees with a year or two on the job, often including those who have been recently promoted. We issued a statement when the news began to break about these actions, expressing our deep concern.
On The Hill: Congress is working to finalize FY25 funding levels before the March 14 deadline when the current CR expires. While negotiations continue, funding levels for NIH and other research agencies are uncertain; a government shutdown is a possibility. Research!America is submitting a community sign-on letter to appropriations leaders as we speak, urging them to robustly fund the NIH and prevent an abrupt change to reimbursement of Facilities and Administrative costs.
An astonishing 524 organizations and 3,108 private citizens signed the letter. We will be sending an addendum with additional signatories to the letter. Please use this form by COB Monday, Feb. 24, if you would like to be added.
Use Your Voice: This is not the time to keep your concerns to yourself! Advocates play a key role in shaping funding decisions made by members of Congress, who consider input from their constituents when determining the federal funding priorities they will promote. Now is the time to speak up for stronger funding for NIH, CDC, FDA, AHRQ, NSF, BARDA, ARPA-H, and other research agencies. To make it easy, we’ve prepared a quick “how-to” guide with a message template. If you’re new to the appropriations process, check out this short explainer from the Coalition for Health Funding.
Alliance Member-only Meeting: We are looking forward to hearing from Cheryl Jaeger from Crossroads Strategies during our next alliance member-only strategy session on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at noon ET. Cheryl will provide a quick update on R&D-relevant executive branch and congressional developments and we’ll reserve plenty of time for Q&A/brainstorming.
Again, this meeting is for Research!America alliance members only. If your organization is not part of the Research!America alliance (you can find a list of current member organizations here), please get in touch with Kristen Furlong about the benefits of membership. These sessions are just one of the benefits of membership in our alliance. In turn, the impact of our alliance depends on the size and reach of our membership across the United States. Please join us!
If your organization is part of the Research!America alliance, email Jacqueline Lagoy to receive the Zoom registration link.
Your Support: In these unprecedented times, we are working around the clock – via press statements, letters to policymakers and member-only discussions to name a few examples – making the case against recent policies that are detrimental to research in America. With your help, we can do even more. Please consider donating today so we can continue to make the case to Congress and the Trump Administration about the value that Americans place on the work being done by scientists, innovators and advocates like you.
AAAS Award: I was deeply honored to be awarded the Philip Hauge Abelson Prize by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at its recent meeting. I consider this recognition as a testament to all advocates – the lifeblood of the Research!America alliance.
VAST Release: We are less than a week away from release of the Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST), which will lay out a blueprint for a supercharged American scientific enterprise that ensures our global competitiveness and national security and addresses the big challenges of our time: existential threats to our health; food supply and water security; environmental resilience; energy production, utilization, and storage; and our overall well-being. The vision will be released the morning of Feb. 25 at an event sponsored by the online news organization Axios. More than 70 leaders from across the S&T community have contributed to this landmark effort. Register here for the release event.
There will also be a VAST reception Tuesday night, Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Hearing Room, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building. For that event, please RSVP at this link.
All-Star Panel: You won’t want to miss either of the two great panel discussions at our upcoming 2025 Advocacy Awards on Wednesday, March 12, at the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Julie Gerberding, of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, will moderate a panel of advocacy award winners to discuss trust in science, with a frame that references advocacy in the moment. The panel features former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli; Dr. Gary Gibbons, Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Dr. Barbara E. Bierer, MD, Harvard Medical School; Elizabeth Cohen, freelance Health Reporter; Dr. Alfred Sommer, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, PhD, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
We will highlight the second panel next week. Meanwhile, take a moment to review the full list of the advocacy stars we are honoring. The event is coming soon, so register now. Thanks to our generous sponsors, there is no charge to attend.
Exploring the Capability and Potential of Genetically Targeted Technology: Genetically targeted technology refers to a broad range of techniques that manipulate an organism’s genes to prevent, treat, or cure diseases. Please join us on Wednesday, March 5, for an in-person breakfast briefing where we will explore the science behind genetically targeted technology, including the profound impact of RNA-based therapies, such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and RNAi, and the powerful potential these technologies hold to revolutionize treatment and prevention. This briefing will be held on Capitol Hill in 2044 Rayburn House Office Building from 8:30 a.m to 10 a.m. Space is limited, register today.