1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to immediately stop the administration’s terrifying attempt to seize direct political control over National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. Drafted executive orders forcing external, political veto boards onto scientific review are completely unhinged.  Replacing rigorous peer review with blatant ideological censorship and favoritism isn't just absurd; it is catastrophic. Weaponizing federal research funds to reward loyalists, line the pockets of well-connected allies, and kill studies that don't fit a political agenda will cripple American innovation. Targeted attacks on vital health research—driven by deep-seated racism, sexism, and hostility toward marginalized communities—will paralyze progress on life-saving treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease. This is a naked money grab disguised as government oversight. The economic fallout will be devastating: top talent will flee abroad, world-class American universities will collapse under frozen funding, and our leadership in global biotechnology will vanish overnight. Scientific discovery cannot survive being filtered through political stooges. Stand up against this destruction, protect the independence of federal scientific funding, and block any White House overreach before our medical and economic future is permanently ruined.