Last week, I along with my fellow co-chairs of the Connecticut Bioscience Caucus, state Senator Christine Cohen (D-12th), state Rep. Dave Yaccarino (R-87th), and state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-136th), sent a letter voicing deep concern over the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) recent decision to cut nearly $4 billion in “indirect costs” funding. This move threatens to significantly harm medical research institutions across the nation, including those in Connecticut, and could severely undermine America’s leadership in medical and bioscience innovation and, most importantly, saving people’s lives.
The imposition of these cuts are particularly troubling as it risks violating a 79-year-old federal law governing funding regulations for such crucial research. It is an abrupt and unilateral action that could have far-reaching consequences on the development of life-saving treatments, diagnostic tools, and groundbreaking medical innovations that could shape the future of healthcare.
As one of the co-chairs of Connecticut’s bipartisan Bioscience Caucus, I urged the Secretary of Health and Human Services, NIH, the federal legislative leadership and current administration to carefully reconsider the decision and prioritize the continuity of “indirect” medical research funding. Without these vital funds, research efforts will be severely disrupted, delaying or even preventing the progress of treatments and breakthroughs that could benefit millions of patients and families in Connecticut and across the country.
I respect and fully understand the importance of government accountability and financial taxpayer efficiency. However, innovative and entrepreneurial medical research is not an expendable and discretionary line item — it is an essential investment in human life, economic growth, and global medical research leadership. The United States has maintained its American exceptionalism position as a world leader in bioscience and medical advancements because of sustained, robust funding leading to innovation and discovery, not sudden and unsubstantiated cuts that can impede and possibly halt vital research.
I strongly support the ongoing judicial review maintaining the Constitutional check and balance between our branches of federal government. The Judiciary serves as a necessary safeguard to ensure that decisions impacting public health and scientific progress are thoroughly evaluated and legally sound under law. My hope is that our courts will validate and emphasize the need for a decision that will not set back decades of medical innovation and disrupt ongoing work that could improve millions of lives.
Beyond the current turmoil and funding complexities, I want to focus on real life impact on people’s lives. In the United States, 5,500 people a day are diagnosed with cancer, roughly 2 million new cases every year. One in eight women will have breast cancer. NIH funded research has indeed saved lives. One such example was offered by Claudia Weicker, former 1st lady of Connecticut.
“I am alive because of NIH research. The life they save may also be yours,” Weicker said. “It is exactly 28 years since I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. At the time, I had a 50-50 probability of living five years. My oncologist was a veteran breast cancer researcher who had come from the National Cancer Institute at the NIH. After several surgeries (unavailable to my mother’s generation), chemotherapy, medication, and a clinical trial, I number among the 4 million survivors of breast cancer who live normal, productive lives and who must credit their survival to a national commitment to cure cancer.
“The NIH is not some big building located inside the Washington Beltway. It has 27 centers of excellence, each with a specific research agenda and each in turn conducts or funds research in universities, hospitals, and research centers across the country. The National Cancer institute alone has research centers and treats patients through centers like Yale’s Smilow Cancer Center in 36 states and the District of Columbia. It was at one such center where I participated in the clinical trial that I believe is responsible for the fact that I live today,” Weicker said.
State Senator Tony Hwang, chief deputy Senate Republican leader and co-chair of CGA’s bipartisan bicameral Bioscience Caucus, represents the 28th Senate District, which encompasses Easton, Fairfield, Newtown, Sandy Hook, Southport and portions of Bethel.
