Washington, D.C. — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) signed onto a letter led by Congressman Jake Auchincloss (MA-4) demanding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) immediately release of $4.7 billion in withheld research grants, and warning that the Trump Administration’s delays jeopardize medical innovation and patient care.

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representatives Lori Trahan (MA-3), Richard Neal (MA-1), Jim McGovern (MA-2), Seth Moulton (MA-6), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Stephen Lynch (MA-8), and Bill Keating (MA-9).

“This Administration has reportedly delayed as much as $4.7 billion in obligated NIH grant funds to date, which has a direct and immediate impact on the entire medical research enterprise – from research institutions and physician researchers to patients and their families,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. “With the concentration of research institutions in Massachusetts, the situation is particularly dire for our communities and businesses – and for patients, it is a matter of life-and-death.”

“These funding cuts and delays discourage research, which has led to the ongoing “brain drain” and endangered the United States’ global leadership in medical research and innovation,” the lawmakers wrote. “The termination and withholding of NIH grants only accelerates the leads other countries are rapidly gaining on the United States. The Trump Administration’s decisions are dangerous and short-sighted.”

“Without reliable federal investments for high-risk medical research, you and the Trump Administration risk undoing decades of advancements in science and diminishing U.S. global leadership in medical innovation,” the lawmakers continued. “We demand that NIH immediately release obligated grant funding and continue the irreplaceable investment to save lives.”

The full letter is available here.

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