1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

At his Senate confirmation hearing, Robert F. Kennedy rightly acknowledged that the United States bears the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world. Yet since he assumed office, key grants and contracts that directly address these chronic diseases—such as obesity, diabetes, and dementia—are being eliminated. One particularly troubling example is the termination of the Diabetes Prevention Program, which has been instrumental since 1996 in advancing our understanding and treatment of this widespread and deadly disease. Diabetes affects 38 million Americans, costs $306 billion annually in direct expenses, and caused approximately 400,000 deaths in 2021, making it the eighth leading cause of death. I urge you to restore funding for medical research programs like this. These initiatives not only have the potential to improve the health and longevity of millions of Americans, but also to reduce overall healthcare costs—particularly for those who can least afford them.