Compelling Testimony
Under the leadership of Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Vice-Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), the Senate Appropriations Committee held an important bipartisan hearing Wednesday on the future of biomedical innovation in the U.S. One of the most powerful moments came from Emily Stenson, who testified alongside her 5-year-old daughter, Charlie. A cancer survivor, Charlie’s life was saved through participation in federally funded pediatric clinical trials. Charlie is now enjoying the “joyful chaos” of a 5 year old. “She loves coloring, playing dress up and chasing her siblings,” said her mother. “These moments aren’t guaranteed to any child, but for us they are made possible because Congress chooses to invest in research.”
Our Board Chair and AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh, a key witness, emphasized that the ecosystem that drives U.S. biomedical innovation is at a crossroads: “We need to ask ourselves, is the next ‘golden era’ of biomedical research going to be in the U.S.? Or is it going to be in China, Europe, or elsewhere?”
Sudip called for all scientists, patient advocates, Congress, and the administration to share a vision and support for medical research. “We want to work together for more miracles, for better overall health, and for a more prosperous America,” he said. The overall tone of the hearing was positive, expressing strong support for medical and health research. I encourage you to watch it here.
Also on the Hill: Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will soon be considering the FY26 budget for NIH and other federal health and science research agencies. As of this writing, the president’s “skinny” budget proposal has not yet been released for Congress’ consideration, but rumor has it that it will drop tomorrow (Friday). Once the budget proposal is released, it’s likely to dominate the news cycle, making this a timely and powerful moment to make the case for medical and health research. A letter to the editor (LTE) in your local newspaper (they still exist! They are read by elected officials!) can help spotlight the value of research in your community and signal public support to policymakers. Use Research!America’s LTE resource along with relevant public opinion data from the national surveys we commission to reinforce your message. Take this opportunity to keep the value of research top of mind for both the public and those shaping policy.
The Senate Finance and HELP Committees will soon hold hearings to consider nominations for key senior roles at the Department of Health and Human Services. The Finance Committee will consider James O’Neill for Deputy Secretary and Gary Andres for Assistant Secretary on May 6. The HELP Committee will follow on May 8 with a hearing for O’Neill and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, nominee for U.S. Surgeon General.
NIH: According to an internal NIH email obtained by STAT News (subscription required), six new acting directors have been appointed to lead various NIH Institutes and Centers. Many of these temporary appointments fill roles left vacant by recent layoffs and reassignments, and their long-term status remains uncertain as NIH continues broader organizational changes.
This week, NIH announced that its updated Public Access Policy will take effect on July 1, moving up the implementation timeline by six months. Under the new policy, peer-reviewed manuscripts resulting from NIH-funded research must be made immediately publicly available in PubMed Central after journal acceptance. Read the updated policy notice here.
FDA: According to an interview with Inside Medicine, (behind a paywall) FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced that there are no immediate plans to dramatically restructure the FDA. We welcome this news: restructuring of FDA (or NIH or CDC and the list goes on) should not occur without a process that demonstrates the net positive of such changes. What HHS agencies do is too important to the health, prosperity, and security of the American people for an “act now, pay later” strategy.
NSF: NSF has not been spared drastic cuts in both grants and staff. Starting two weeks ago, the agency terminated hundreds of awards worth hundreds of millions of dollars, including active grants that were considered related to DEI or combating misinformation. The agency is also expected to face a cut of up to 55% of its $9 billion budget in the president’s budget request, and it has been asked to draft a plan to lay off half of its 1,700 employees. Cuts of this magnitude would devastate federal science and technology programs.
Member-only Meeting: If you are with a Research!America alliance member organization, join us on Tuesday, May 6, at noon ET for an off-the-record conversation with strategists Cheryl Jaeger from Crossroad Strategies and Leslie Zelenko from KDCR Partners. We’ll take a look at President Trump’s skinny budget (if it is released by then), recap the April 30 bipartisan Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on medical innovation, review developments at NIH and FDA as their new leaders settle in, and do some brainstorming. All of that will be better if you join us! Email Jacqueline Lagoy for the Zoom registration link.
Save the Date: Mark your calendars for a second off-the-record alliance member-only meeting on Thursday, May 15, at noon ET. The focus will be the potential impact of tariffs on the public-private sector R&D ecosystem (and as always, any other research-relevant developments that surface). If you are with an alliance member organization, keep an eye on your emails for the registration information. If your organization is not a member…
Join Research!America: The membership process is straightforward, the benefits are compelling, and your participation would help amplify the impact of our multi-sector alliance on and off Capitol Hill. Email Senior Director of Membership and Development Kristen Furlong for more information.
ICYMI: I don’t often do this, but let me make you a guarantee: if you watch the alliance discussion we held earlier this week about the significance of placebos in research and health, you will thank yourself for setting aside the time. Dr. Kathryn Hall, Senior Vice President for Research at the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM), was our featured speaker. Her presentation and the Q and A that followed were provocative, informative…just terrific.
Cracking the Code: For those who will be in or near Washington, D.C., on May 7, we’ve been asked (and are thrilled) to invite you to a sneak peak of a new film before it airs on PBS in November. Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp and the Biotech Revolution from UnCommon Productions will screen on Wednesday, May 7, on Capitol Hill, hosted by bipartisan members of Congress. Watch the trailer here.Narrated by Mark Ruffalo, Cracking the Code tells the personal story of Nobel Prize–winning scientist Phil Sharp, whose pioneering discovery of RNA splicing and role as a co-founder of Biogen helped lay the foundation for the modern biotech industry. Space is limited; RSVP here.
There are other screenings: May 12 in NYC and June 1 in Chicago.