Nih Cuts Put American Lives At Risk

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak out against another outrageous move by Donald Trump: his attack on the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH is not just another governmental agency, it is the foundation of America's medical research. It funds lifesaving breakthroughs that doctors and scientists rely on to treat and cure diseases. It supports the work that helps us fight cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, and rare genetic disorders. It fuels innovation that leads to better treatment, more effective medications, and new medical technologies. Yet, Donald Trump and the Republicans in this building want to gut it.

Trump has proposed slashing billions of dollars from the NIH budget, which would cripple research, stall medical progress, and put American lives at risk. These cuts would mean fewer clinical trials, new treatments and advances in the fights against the diseases that impact millions of Americans. Every person in this country, every patient battling illness, every doctor searching for answers, and every family hoping for a cure would feel the consequences of these disastrous cuts.

Let's be clear about what is at stake. The NIH funds over 300,000 researchers across the country, supporting studies that have led to some of the most important medical breakthroughs in history. This funding helped develop treatments that have increased cancer survival rates, improved heart disease prevention, and even led to vaccines that protect us from deadly viruses. It is responsible for nearly every major medical advancement of the last century.

These cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are a direct threat to American lives and health. If Trump and Republicans succeed in slashing NIH funding, it means that crucial research into diseases like Parkinson's, ALS, and multiple sclerosis will be delayed or abandoned altogether. It means that hospitals and research centers will struggle to continue their work. It means that the next big breakthrough, the next cure, the next lifesaving drug, the next medical innovation that can save each one of our families and your family could be lost forever.

For Texas, the consequences would be severe. In 2023 alone, the NIH invested over $1.5 billion into Texas research institutions. This funding supports critical work at UT Southwestern in Dallas, where scientists are pioneering new cancer treatments; at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where researchers are leading the fight against Alzheimer's and heart disease; and at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M, where cutting-edge biomedical research is shaping the future of medicine. If Trump's cuts go through, these institutions will lose the funding they need to continue their vital work.

This attack on the NIH is part of a larger pattern. This is the same Donald Trump leading an administration that rejects science. He is threatening all of our health. He downplayed COVID-19, costing hundreds of thousands of American lives. He ignored public health experts and spread antiscience conspiracy theories while hospitals were overrun with dying patients. Trump already tried to cut NIH funding before, only to be stopped by a Democratic Congress. This time he is taking direct aim at the very institution that helps doctors and scientists find cures, save lives, and protect public health.

We cannot afford to let this happen. We must fight back. If we care about our families, health, and future, we must reject these reckless cuts and demand more funding for NIH, not less. The research being conducted today will determine the treatments available tomorrow, and the investment we make in science now will save lives for generations to come.

This is not a partisan issue. Well, rather, it should not be a partisan issue. Disease does not care whether you are a Republican or a Democrat. Cancer doesn't check your voter registration. Alzheimer's doesn't ask where you fall on the ideological spectrum. This is about protecting the health of every single American.

I urge my colleagues in Congress and every American listening to stand up for science, stand up for medical research, stand up for the NIH. The health of all of our families could depend on it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source