Help protect funding for the National Institutes of Health

Tell Congress: Invest in Medical Research for FY 2026

The Issue:

As Congress considers its fiscal year 2026 budget legislation, it is critical that policymakers reject the President’s budget proposal to cut nearly $18 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). If passed by Congress, this short-sighted proposal would slash the NIH’s budget by 40%, undoing decades of bipartisan support for investing in the very biomedical research that leads to cures and expands local and state economies.

A budget cut of this size would eliminate opportunities for the next generation of researchers and diminish the nation’s research capacity — slowing scientific progress and depriving patients, families, and communities across the country of new treatments, diagnostics, and preventive interventions.

What you can do:

Members of Congress need to hear from you about how devastating cuts to NIH would be for the future of medical advancements and the health of patients and communities. Below are some tips to help you share your experiences and expertise with your congressional representatives to advocate for investment in medical research:

      Send a digital letter.

      Use our provided messages script to share why NIH-funded research matters to you.

      Share with your networks.

      You can post publicly or share in your circle of professional colleagues via email any of AAMC’s resources on the critical importance of medical research — whether it’s the short explainer video touting the importance of academic medicine to society or the infographic illustrating how academic medicine’s four mission areas are inextricably intertwined. Read more about how you can take action.

      Record a video and post on social media.

      Film a brief (under 30 seconds) message about why Congress should support and protect the nation’s research capacity. View. You can customize the sample social media posts below to post alongside the video, or create your own post to show how NIH-funded research is advancing medicine and serving your community

      • Social media tips:
          • Tailor the posts with your personal story and stats specific to your state
          • Use the hashtags, #FundNIH and #NoCutstoCures
          • Tag your elected officials
          • Make sure your social media account privacy setting is set to public
      • Sample social:
          • Twitter/X
            • Lifesaving medical research drives advancements in cancer treatment, Alzheimer’s care, gene therapies, and more. Congress must support medical research so Americans can live longer, healthier lives. #NoCutsToCures
            • In FY2024, NIH-funded research supported 407,782 jobs and $94B in economic activity. Medical research doesn’t just improve our health — it grows the economy, too. #NoCutsToCures
          • LinkedIn/Facebook
            • Medical research today pays a lifetime of dividends in saving lives and promoting better health outcomes for all Americans. For example, [Insert link or story related to medical research at your institution]. But these lifesaving breakthroughs are at risk. Congress has begun work drafting the fiscal year 2026 budget legislation, and it is critical that they reject the nearly $18 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the administration’s budget proposal. Not only would these budget cuts deprive patients of new treatments, diagnostics, and preventative interventions, it would reduce economic development and cede American leadership to global competitors. We urge Congress to reject these cuts and instead invest in lifesaving medical research that serves patients, families, and communities across the country. #FundNIH #NoCutsToCures #StartsInAcademicMedicine
      AAMC resources to assist in your outreach:
      • Video capture tips for recording your video to send to Members of Congress
      • AAMC infographic on the value of NIH-funded research at medical schools and teaching hospitals
      • AAMC infographic on academic medicine’s impact on patients, communities, researchers, providers, trainees, and ultimately the health of the nation
      • AAMC video on what the world would look like without academic medicine
      • AAMC video on how academic medicine plays a pivotal role in the nation’s health care system