1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the proposed 15% overhead cut to NIH funding. This reduction will have a devastating impact on biomedical research, leading to significant insecurity against biological threats both domestically and for our warfighters abroad. In fiscal year 2021, North Carolina received approximately $31.4 billion in federal funding. This funding supports a wide range of programs and services, including infrastructure, education, and healthcare for low-income individuals. The loss of this funding would be devastating to our state's ability to provide essential services and maintain economic stability. In particular, North Carolina benefits significantly from NIH funding, receiving $2.28 billion, which translates to $5.34 billion in economic activity for our universities and companies in RTP and across the state. This funding supports 25,081 jobs, playing a crucial role in our local economy and community well-being. Additionally, in fiscal year 2023, North Carolina received approximately $222.99 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). These funds are used to train undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in STEM fields and are the engine that drives the Research Triangle. Decimating the NIH and universities will impact the ability to train PhD students with NIH funds, forcing biotech companies in RTP to rely more on visa-supported scientists, complicating an already challenging situation. This disruption will hinder our state's ability to remain a leader in scientific advancements and healthcare improvements. The overhead cut will severely hinder the development of vaccines to prevent potential H5N1 outbreaks in both people and livestock, as well as our preparedness against potential bioterrorism attacks. Furthermore, it will retard scientific advancement for decades, allowing countries like China to surpass us in critical research areas, as we have already seen with AI research and Deep Fake technology. Additionally, this reduction will halt the progress in developing therapies for cancer, neurodegenerative, autoimmune, and other diseases. The long-term consequences of such a cut will be detrimental to our nation's health, security, and scientific leadership. I urge you to reconsider this proposal and support full funding for NIH to ensure continued advancements in biomedical research and the protection of public health. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.