Research Advocates Unite in Force
On Tuesday of last week, we asked you to sign a letter addressed to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, demonstrating unified support for protecting and growing NIH funding in Fiscal Year 2025. In just one short week, 600 organizations and more than 3,500 individuals signed on to the letter, which addresses FY25 funding levels and the need to prevent an abrupt change to NIH facilities and administrative cost reimbursement.
As noted in our press statement, this immediate and immense show of solidarity across national and local patient organizations, academia, industry, scientific societies and other important voices, reinforces what we know from long experience in advocacy, as well as more than 30 years of public opinion surveys: people want faster medical and health progress backed by a secure, prolific science and technology ecosystem. Thanks to every organization and individual who joined this effort.
Now…Let’s Take It on the Road: In addition to sending to appropriations leadership, Research!America has sent the letter to every member of Congress. What will be even more powerful is when you send the letter to your elected representatives. Use this editable email that includes a link to the big sign-on letter to do just that. Don’t wait – do your part to keep the momentum going!
Speaking of Appropriations… Appropriations leaders continue to negotiate in an attempt to complete the Fiscal Year 2025 process. With just two weeks left until the current continuing resolution (CR) flat-funding expires on March 14, the challenge facing these leaders is enormous. The editable email above reinforces the importance of their efforts. Stop-gap CRs and government shutdowns invariably harm the American people. See this primer.
Research Slowed, Halted, Not Begun: Disclosure requirements under current law require 15-day notice in the Federal Register for the study review sections and advisory council meetings that are central to grant-making at NIH. No notices have been published since the federal communication freeze went into effect on Jan. 22, delaying the grant award process. We have reached out to the administration and are speaking with key congressional offices about the consequences of this delay. Delays serve no one, and send a clear message to early career researchers in particular: is it time to re-consider your choice of career? This nation has never been on the losing end of a brain drain; we can’t let that happen.
Another Concerning Update: Yesterday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a memo with further guidance on reorganization and workforce reductions. Agencies must submit Phase 1 plans by March 13, detailing initial cuts, potential eliminations or consolidations, and efficiency strategies. Phase 2, due by April 14, will focus on outlining plans for “efficient agency operations moving forward.”
We are deeply concerned that short-turnaround deadlines force actions that hinder NIH, FDA, CDC, and other essential federal agencies from serving the American people. This slide deck from the Alliance for a Stronger FDA highlights the broad scope of FDA’s responsibilities, underscoring the immense significance that the agency has in our everyday lives.
For a running list of research-relevant developments during the first 100 days of the new Trump Administration and Congress, see our timeline.
A New Vision for S&T: The Vision for American Science and Technology (VAST), a call to action to secure our nation’s at-risk science and technology leadership featuring input from more than 70 leaders across the S&T community, was unveiled earlier this week at an event in downtown Washington, D.C. The program featured the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Science Committee, along with VAST Chair Sudip Parikh. Read the release here.
VAST sets high aspirations for S&T to inspire action ensuring the U.S. remains a world leader and bolsters national security, economic prosperity and our overall well-being. Research!America Board Chair and AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh summed it up well: “We are living in a moment of extraordinary progress… We also live in a moment where we are in an existential race with other countries around the world and what we’ve found is that science and technology are the only things that enable us to have big step-function changes in our prosperity, in our health, and in our well-being. If we are not the ones who are investing and creating the environment in which science and technology flourish, we will cede that to other countries.”
Our latest commissioned survey revealed that a striking 9 in 10 Americans believe it is important for the U.S. to be a leader in S&T; VAST translates that belief into action. I encourage you to view the VAST website to download the vision.
Nomination Hearings Scheduled: The Senate HELP Committee has scheduled hearings to consider the nomination of Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as the Director of the NIH (Wednesday, March 5) and Dr. Martin Makary to serve as the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (Thursday, March 6). We look forward to learning more about their vision and objectives for federal agencies central to the day-to-day well-being of us all and critical to the health, economic, and security interests of our nation. The hearings will be livestreamed on the HELP Committee website.
Your Support: Research!America’s all-out efforts to keep lifesaving research at the forefront of our national agenda are front and center this week, as you can see from the items earlier in this letter, from the sign-on letter for robust NIH funding to the release of the much-anticipated VAST initiative. These efforts take tremendous resources – your donations help buoy our work. Please contribute today to help us sustain and grow our activities. 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.
All-Star Panel, Part 2: We are less than two weeks away from our 2025 Advocacy Awards on Wednesday, March 12, at the National Academy of Sciences. Last week, we highlighted the first panel featuring awardees. About the second panel: Research!America Board Member and former NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni will lead a discussion focused on the role of advocacy to ensure medical and health research continues to be leveraged to achieve societal objectives. Joining him will be Delali Attiogbe Attipoe with Drugs for Neglected Diseases (DNDi); Dr. Carolyn Clancy with the Veterans Health Administration; Dr. Barney Graham of the Morehouse School of Medicine; Dr. Gary K. Michelson of Michelson Philanthropies and Michelson Medical Research Foundation; and Donald S. Wood, Ph.D., of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Take a moment to review the full list of the advocacy stars we are honoring, and 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 to learn more about genetically targeted technology, including 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.
Gene Therapy: Speaking of genetic therapy, join us on March 5 at noon ET for an Alliance Discussion with Dr. Donald S. Wood, President and CEO of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), and Paul Melmeyer, Executive Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at MDA.
MDA, the 2025 Paul Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award winner, has been the largest nonprofit supporter of neuromuscular disease research for 75 years, investing more than $1 billion in research and gene therapy advancements. I will be joining a conversation with Dr. Wood and Mr. Melmeyer as they discuss the future of gene therapy for ultra-rare conditions and share insights into MDA’s pivotal role in accelerating research and improving care for individuals with neuromuscular diseases. Register now.