1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

I am a researcher receiving federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct health studies critical to advancing medical knowledge and improving public welfare. However, due to the lack of an approved budget for the 2025 fiscal year, agencies like HHS are unable to disburse grant funding or make new grant award decisions under the current continuing resolution. As my salary is directly contingent on this grant funding that comprises the core of my work, the budgetary impasse has severely jeopardized my livelihood and that of staff employed on grants. Unless Congress can resolve this issue by promptly passing a comprehensive budget for FY 2025, the disruption to research activities will only intensify—delaying or halting scientific progress and leaving skilled researchers in financial distress. I implore our legislators to act expediently to approve funding that will restore operational stability for federally sponsored research vital to pioneering medical breakthroughs and bolstering public health.