Right now, medical research labs are at risk of losing funding due to the proposed cap on indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. This change threatens to disrupt critical scientific advancements, slow down research, and jeopardize the infrastructure that has made the United States a global leader in medical innovation.

Medical research saves lives. It helps us understand how diseases spread, develop treatments, and prepare for future public health threats. At the University of Maryland, Dr. Donald Milton and his team rely on NIH funding to study respiratory viruses like flu and COVID-19. Their work—along with countless other projects nationwide—is at risk if these cuts move forward.

Indirect costs support the essential functions that keep research facilities running: maintaining equipment, keeping the lights on, ensuring proper ventilation, and paying the staff who make groundbreaking studies possible. Cutting this funding would force labs to scale back or shut down, stalling vital medical progress when we need it most.

Since World War II, NIH funding has built the strongest biomedical research enterprise in history. Weakening this system now would set back decades of scientific progress and endanger future generations. Instead of limiting research support, we should be strengthening our commitment to medical discovery and innovation.

We urge lawmakers to stand with the scientific community and preserve full NIH funding. Lives depend on it. Sign and share this petition to ensure that America continues to lead the way in medical research.