Action 34 - Defend biomedical research in Maine

Feb 10

Background:

There has been yet another Musk-mandated “Friday night massacre”. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced an immediate cap of 15% on indirect costs, regardless of any rate previously agreed to in research grants and contracts. This decision will cause an immediate and massive funding shortfall at research institutions across the country, forcing layoffs, reducing staff, and jeopardizing critical scientific research, including here in Maine. Indirect costs aren’t wasteful—they pay for essential infrastructure including things like facility maintenance and salaries of support staff. This blitzkrieg change undermines years of financial planning at universities and research institutions, creating a devastating budget crisis overnight. What Musk and his henchmen fail to grasp is that you can’t just pull the rug out from under a carefully crafted research support plan that may involve multiple sources of funds, and think for a minute that the research can survive. It’s also probably illegal, but some of the damage will prove fatal as the lawsuits wend their way through the courts.

The first salvo against research - a complete across the board funding freeze - was initiated January 20 but rolled back on January 28 under threat of lawsuit. At the time, Jackson Lab, the premier research institution in Maine and of worldwide importance, stated “Any pause or interruption in activities at federal health agencies will disrupt the momentum behind lifesaving research, jeopardizes jobs and creates considerable anxiety within the scientific community as well as within communities hoping to benefit directly from the research these federal health groups steward.” So now the Muskovites are going after indirect costs, in furtherance of their various insane obsessions expressed in Project 2025.

Action:

Call/write our representatives and ask them to stop and reverse the decision to cap NIH indirect costs at 15%. Different research institutions calculate their indirect costs differently. A “one size fits all” approach like this is utterly counterproductive to the standing of the U.S. as leader in science and medicine. It will result in layoffs and the cessation of important biomedical research. Instead of terrorizing the people who are working to advance human knowledge, the new administration of the NIH should be working cooperatively and intelligently with the research institutions to help them figure out how to lower their administrative costs. That would be the better, calmer, more productive path toward achieving the goal of most efficient use of funds appropriated by Congress.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee oversee NIH. Here are the members of those committees:

https://energycommerce.house.gov/representatives

https://www.help.senate.gov/about/members

Senator Susan Collins sits on the Senate committee but there are no Maine representatives on the House committee. Senator Collins has been effective in protecting Maine health related charities from some of the draconian cuts initiated by the Muskovites. Maybe she can also be effective in beating back this stupid cut. Call or write Senator Collins through her email portal (preferred). If you have a personal story to tell, so much the better. How will this affect you, your loved ones, your job, your institution, your town? If you know anyone with a representative on either the House or the Senate committee, ask them to do likewise. Also, copy Representatives Golden and Pingree and Senator King. Note: this war on indirect costs probably pertains to other scientific research, so reach out to colleagues and friends in universities.

Contacts:

Senator Collins (202) 224-2523 https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact/email-senator-collins

Senator King (202) 224-5344 https://www.king.senate.gov/contact

Representative Golden (202) 225-6306 https://golden.house.gov/contact

Representative Pingree (202) 225-6116 https://pingree.house.gov/contact/contactform.htm

URGENCY: THE CUTS GO INTO EFFECT FOR ANY GRANT DISBUBSEMENTS AFTER MONDAY.

Write and call Susan Collins as soon as you can. Jackson Lab and Mount Desert Biological Lab don’t have endowments or

tuition revenue to fall back on.

Extra Credit:

https://fromthescienceclass.substack.com/p/biomedical-research-under-threat?utm_source=post-email-

title&publication_id=1282475&post_id=156713488&utm_campaign=email-post-

title&isFreemail=true&r=cll76&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email