Disturbing News
Disturbing news out of Washington today as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to cut 10,000 employees across federal health and research agencies, including the NIH, FDA, and CDC, and reorganize certain agencies within HHS. These cuts are on top of the 10,000 employees who opted to leave HHS earlier this year under the new administration’s voluntary separation offers, for a total reduction of 20,000 personnel. This represents roughly a quarter of the HHS workforce.
We have yet to see the details of these plans, but a 25% reduction in the HHS workforce will undoubtedly harm our research and public health capacity. We strongly urge the administration to avoid any actions that would damage our nation’s premier health research institutions, slowing progress toward cures and putting the public’s health at risk.
New Leadership: The Senate on Tuesday voted to confirm Stanford health economist Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., to serve as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Read our statement. In a separate vote, the Senate confirmed Martin Markay, M.D., MPH, to take the helm at the Food and Drug Administration.
Susan Monarez, Ph.D., has been nominated to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Monarez is currently serving as Acting CDC Director and was previously Deputy Director at ARPA-H. Research!America hosted Dr. Monarez, a thoughtful and committed leader, for a member-only meeting during her tenure at ARPA-H. Stay up to date on key nominations using our nominations tracker.
Updated Information from NIH: The NIH has just updated its “Grants and Funding” page, creating more certainty around new funding opportunities and guidance documents, existing grant solicitations, the approach NIH is taking to comply with the President’s DEI-relevant Executive Orders, and more.
Save the Date: Our next Research!America alliance member-only meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 9, at noon ET. By popular demand, Cheryl Jaeger of Crossroads Strategies and Carrie Wolinetz, Ph.D., of Lewis Burke Associates will join us (and hopefully you) for an interactive discussion about the latest developments in Washington. If you are with a Research!America member organization, watch your emails for the registration link. If not and you would like to explore membership, email Kristen Furlong or join Research!America online. The larger our alliance, the greater our collective impact.
Visualizing Your Voice: This month, Fight Colorectal Cancer turned the lawn of the U.S. Capitol into a sea of blue flags. This powerful visual featured 27,400 flags, each one representing a young person (ages 20–49) projected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2030, when that disease is projected to become the leading cause of cancer death in Americans under 50.
These flags can represent a wake-up call for Congress and the administration to prioritize medical and public health research. Affecting messages like this one can move Congress to act. Your voice can do the same. Share your story. Why do you want Congress and the administration to protect and grow research funding? Maybe you’re a patient facing a disease with too few treatment options, a caregiver navigating impossible choices for someone you love, a researcher working toward the next breakthrough, or someone who just believes in a healthier future. Whatever your reason, it matters. Use our editable email (it’s mostly blank because your story is the important part) to contact your representatives and make your voice heard.
Advocacy Awards Recap: If you missed the Research!America 2025 Advocacy Awards event earlier this month, we missed you and you missed some high-impact moments: check out the video of two stellar, fast-moving panel discussions with awardees and view the photo gallery. Also, keep watch for an email in the coming months on 2026 award nominations. Your input is at the heart of our annual awards.
Op-ed of Note: U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), a 2023 recipient of the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy, co-authored a powerful Washington Post op-ed (subscription required) earlier this week calling for the U.S. to remain committed to science and technology investment as essential to our global competitiveness.
Speaking of Competitiveness… Beginning this week, the Science and Technology Action Committee (STAC) is running social media ads about competitive nations’ efforts to recruit U.S. scientists.
China, and now a dozen EU countries, are actively recruiting top U.S. talent, many of whom worked at federal science research agencies. STAC’s social media campaign on LinkedIn and Twitter/X lets policymakers know our competitors are finding opportunities for their nations’ S&T growth; our nation’s S&T competitiveness is on shaky ground. Amplify the campaign by sharing STAC’s LinkedIn and Twitter/X posts.
Nutrition and Health: By 2050, 61% of the U.S. population is projected to have developed some form of cardiovascular disease. Join Research!America on Thursday, April 3, at noon ET for a discussion with Dr. Christina Economos, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, focused on the role of food-based nutritional interventions in improving cardiovascular and other health outcomes. Register now.
Communications Prizes: Here’s an opportunity for your communications work in science to be rewarded with the prestigious National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications. The turn-around is short, though! The deadline to apply is Monday, March 31, to compete for 24 awards totaling $640,000. Applicants can learn more here.
You Are Our Strength: Making the case for U.S. medical and health research has never been more important. Help us continue to intensify our advocacy efforts. Join our alliance or donate today.