Demand Investigation Into HHS Cuts Threatening Alzheimer's Research

Secretary Kennedy has fired over 20,000 scientists, doctors, and public health workers since taking office. The NIH lost $1.81 billion in canceled research grants by May, with proposed budget cuts reaching $18 billion annually. This isn't trimming bureaucracy. These are the researchers developing treatments for Alzheimer's disease, which costs our economy $781 billion this year and will exceed $1 trillion by 2050 if we don't find better treatments. When research stops, Americans pay the price in preventable suffering and bankruptcy. Alzheimer's is the fifth leading cause of death for seniors. Seventy percent of Americans will need long-term care at some point, and 62 percent of nursing home residents depend on Medicaid to cover costs averaging $111,000 per year. Medicaid costs for dementia patients are 22 times higher than for seniors without dementia. Most families exhaust their savings paying for care before qualifying for Medicaid coverage. If an effective treatment were discovered by 2030, it could save $500 billion in healthcare costs. Instead, Kennedy terminated the Women's Health Initiative after 34 years of groundbreaking research and gutted programs studying cancer, HIV, and chronic disease. The American Association of Immunologists warned these cuts would have "far-reaching and irreversible consequences" to biomedical research. Research America stated bluntly that if enacted, "Americans today and tomorrow will be sicker, poorer, and die younger." The damage goes beyond dollars. Kennedy has promoted vitamin A as a measles treatment while his former nonprofit spreads vaccine misinformation through a fake CDC website. More than 15,000 physicians signed a letter calling his appointment "actively dangerous." Former CDC director Susan Monarez was fired for refusing to approve vaccine recommendations without scientific evidence. The American Medical Association's CEO stated medical organizations "are going to stand on science" even when the administration does not. This administration is teaching Americans to distrust doctors, dismiss evidence, and believe conspiracy theories about vaccines and autism. That legacy will kill people for decades. Children who grow up learning that science is negotiable and expertise is optional will make deadly health decisions as adults. The talent we're losing is irreplaceable. Scientists who spent careers building expertise in pandemic response, drug safety, and disease prevention have been terminated or driven out. They won't come back. I urge you to demand Kennedy's immediate removal, full restoration of HHS funding and staffing, and a congressional investigation into how conspiracy theories became health policy. This isn't about politics. It's about whether we will sacrifice lifesaving research and disease surveillance to appease someone who spent decades undermining vaccine confidence. Our economic future and our children's health depend on your action.