WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.),  Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), and Bill Keating (MA-09) to release the following statement today on the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).     

“Investments in medical research lead to cures, jobs, and economic growth,” said the Massachusetts lawmakers. “The Trump administration is drastically cutting NIH funding and giving away the United States’ and Massachusetts’ leadership in biomedical innovation to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. These cuts and the chaos this announcement has created is already being felt across the country by hospitals, state universities, and research institutions, by the people whose jobs rely on this funding, and by families who will have to wait longer for treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, diabetes, and more.     

Massachusetts is a national leader in developing groundbreaking treatments and cures, giving hope to patients, families, and caregivers in need of breakthroughs and discoveries. Committed health providers, researchers, and workers drive these innovations, relying on sustainable funding to do their work. The Trump administration’s illegal NIH funding cut is not only going to impede their work to improve our health care system and save lives, but also diminish our competitiveness and cede leadership to China. This action must be reversed.”   

In 2024, Massachusetts received nearly 6,000 grants amounting to $3.5 billion, or 9.3 percent of all NIH funding, despite having just 2% of the population.  

President Trump’s nominee for NIH director, Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. will appear before the HELP Committee. 

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