Rep. Scott Peters on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to preserve $800 million in federal research funding for California universities.
The San Diego Democrat was joined by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Downey) and 38 of their Congressional colleagues in an effort to stop President Donald Trump from blocking National Institutes of Health funding, which, in addition to the California allocation, totals more than $4 billion nationally.
The legislators – including three other San Diego-area representatives, Sara Jacobs, Mike Levin and Juan Vargas – issued their plea in a letter sent to Dr. Matthew J. Memoli, the NIH’s acting director.
The group called the Trump administration’s decision – to enact a 15% cap across all NIH grants related to indirect costs – an illegal act that would have dire consequences not only for health care, but for the U.S.’s global stature in research fields.
“This will devastate the development of groundbreaking research, inhibit patient access to life-saving treatments and clinical trials, and will cede American dominance in biomedical research to our foreign competitors like China, Russia and Iran for years to come,” they warned.
“Indirect funding from the NIH has made … American innovations possible,” they wrote, including the U.S.’s top ranking per capita in scientific Nobel prizes and the global reputation of UC San Diego and UCLA in biomedical research circles.
They also noted that the life science community in California employs 1.2 million residents and generates over $400 billion in economic output. Peters’ office said that his district alone, home to UC San Diego, Scripps Research, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, attracted $950 million in NIH funding in the 2024 fiscal year.
The legislators called on Memoli to abide by the law and provide the opportunity for citizens to weigh in on the NIH spending cap through the public comment process.
They also asked what assessments have been conducted to ensure the cap “does not affectresearch funding,” and if it aids the United States’ (progress on) biomedical research.”
States and other agencies have taken legal action as well. On Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from making the NIH cuts hours after California and 21 other states sued.
That order was expanded nationwide following another judge’s decision in a second lawsuit, filed by medical and research schools and teaching hospitals.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Legislators Demand a Stop to NIH Cuts They Say Will ‘Devastate’ Medical Research )
Also on site :
- 5 U.S. Towns With Major European Vibes
- Powerball winner who took home $167m is arrested after ‘kicking’ a cop the next day
- Woman killed in Greece after bomb explodes in her hands