A lot is going on in Washington. If it’s not enough to keep up with the news of the day, Tuesday’s joint address to Congress was packed full of hot-button political talk.
Unfortunately, protecting the research community and its vital work did not seem to be a priority talking point for those in power in Washington. Not surprising, considering Washington is the very place dismantling the longstanding federal government and university partnership that has powered research and scientific discovery for decades.
For some great info on the history and significance of that partnership, be sure to watch our co-founder Mimi Chapman’s interview with former UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp.
Several members of Congress brought as their guests to the speech scientific leaders whose work is at stake as the research world continues to be rocked by the cuts to NIH and USAID. These guests included a doctor who treats children with cancer and a medical professor who is a leader in Alzheimer’s research.
Carolina is home to countless researchers like these and stands to lose more than most universities in the wake of reckless budget cuts. UNC-Chapel Hill is the 9th-largest research institution in the country, receiving more than $531 million in NIH research funding in 2024 and outputting $1.55 billion in annual research activity.
It’s time Washington hears from you about what is happening at Carolina and institutions around the country. Please write to and call North Carolina’s Senators and your U.S. Representative to tell them to take action on protecting and restoring funding for NIH and USAID.
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6342
U.S. Senator Tedd Budd
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3154
If you live outside of North Carolina and want to contact your home state senators, you can find their info here.
You can find your representative in the U.S. House here. If you already know who your representative is, you can call their office directly or ask to be connected to their office by calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A full list of House member websites can be found here. You can typically find a mailing address at the bottom of a member’s website or on a contact page on their website.
This is an issue that affects everyone – not just UNC and the academic community. Yes, these cuts will cripple UNC’s ability to hire and retain research faculty and provide necessary resources to maintain research facilities and programs. But it will also have far-reaching, long-term impacts on keeping future scientists out of the field and their lifesaving, world-changing work unrealized. Diseases will go untreated, innovation will stall and we will all suffer the consequences.
We have to speak up. Call your representatives in Washington and tell them that restoring funding to NIH and USAID is important to you. We can’t let Carolina – and all the good that comes from it – get lost in the chaos.