Advocacy Now
The disturbing staff reduction plan announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy last week became a reality on Tuesday as he initiated massive reductions in force (RIF) throughout the department, including NIH, FDA, CDC and AHRQ. The 10,000 RIFs are over and above the estimated 10,000 HHS employees who accepted the administration’s buyouts earlier this year and left the department. Read our statement on the impact of these cuts. Our January 2025 survey found that 9 out of 10 Americans across the political spectrum want President Trump and Congress to assign a higher priority to faster medical progress, and another 9 out of 10 want the U.S. to be a global leader in health research. The administration’s actions this week do not advance either goal.
On The Hill: Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has invited Secretary Kennedy to testify before the Committee on April 10 about the staff reductions and reorganization of HHS.
Additionally, today the Senate voted 53 to 45 to confirm the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). You can track this and other key research agency nominations using Research!America’s Nominations Tracker here.
In the House, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) will hold its annual Public Witness Day hearing on Wednesday, April 9, at 10:30 a.m. ET. Subcommittee members will hear directly from patients, researchers, and advocates about FY26 funding priorities. Tune in to watch here.
Join in Advocacy: The sweeping reductions in force (RIFs) at HHS threaten the future of lifesaving medical and public health research, putting patients, families, and communities at risk. If you would like to reach out to your members of Congress about these cuts, we’ve made it easy. Use our editable email to share why protecting research and public health matters. Your voice can make a difference.
President Trump’s Letter to OSTP: Michael Kratsios, the new head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the President’s Science Advisor, received a remarkable letter from the President last week posing three broad questions about how the U.S. can reinforce its global leadership in S&T, attract top talent, reward merit, safeguard intellectual capital, and empower researchers to focus on impactful work, not red tape. The VAST initiative provides possible answers to these questions with its a strategic blueprint to optimize our S&T enterprise and stay ahead.
Member-only Meeting: 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, including the recent reorganization of HHS. This reorganization, for instance, merges the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) to form the Office of Strategy. 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.
Whitehead Award Presentation: Research!America Board Chair Sudip Parikh and I had the privilege of formally presenting the 2025 Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy to Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) this week. We plan to present the award to co-winner Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK-3) in the near future. Stay tuned in this space for information on how to make your nominations for the 2026 Advocacy Awards.
Power of the Placebo: The placebo is a critical component of clinical trials, allowing researchers to determine whether a treatment is truly effective. The placebo effect remains a fascinating and widely discussed phenomenon, both within and beyond medical contexts. Join us on Tuesday, April 29, at noon ET for an engaging discussion on the placebo effect with Dr. Kathryn Hall, Senior Vice President for Research at the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). Register 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.