Restore NIH intramural research funding to save lives

Recent executive actions have placed a freeze on government credit card purchases, severely disrupting vital research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This freeze is crippling cancer, Alzheimer's, and other critical medical research that relies on a constant supply of specialized materials and equipment. NIH's intramural research program on its Bethesda campus has pioneered life-saving breakthroughs like combination chemotherapy, cancer vaccines, and cutting-edge immunotherapies. Its unique clinical setting allows for groundbreaking experiments that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Likewise, NIH scientists are at the forefront of Alzheimer's research, exploring potential gene therapies and links between hearing loss and cognitive decline. However, this valuable work has now ground to a halt. Without the ability to purchase cell culture media, replacement microscope parts, and other vital supplies through credit cards, ongoing experiments are being ruined and new studies cannot begin. The current exception process is far too cumbersome to sustain the continuous flow of resources essential for medical research. I urge you to take immediate action to exempt NIH's intramural research from this blanket freeze. Congress allocated funding for this vital work with the expectation it would continue uninterrupted. Allowing bureaucratic financial policies to derail pioneering medical advances will ultimately cost lives and undermine America's global scientific leadership. Restoring NIH's purchasing abilities ensures taxpayer dollars are properly utilized for their intended, life-saving purpose.