Proposed cuts will weaken our public health, limit access to life-saving treatments while stifling medical research to cure cancer, fight infectious diseases, better support our veterans suffering from PTSD
In 2023, Colorado researchers received $575 million in NIH funding for medical research, supporting 7,000+ jobs in the state
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet along with Representatives Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, Joe Neguse, Brittany Pettersen wrote to the Senate and House Appropriations Committee to raise alarm about the Trump administration’s efforts to cut billions in federal funding for medical research and urged them to protect bipartisan research funding.
“Federal commitment to cutting edge research in health care results in real medical and scientific advancements which benefits us all… These proposed cuts result in less funding research in Colorado,” wrote the Colorado lawmakers. “Patients and researchers will experience the most negative consequences.”
In 2023, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded over $575 million to Colorado researchers to solve cancer, study infectious diseases, and much more. Colorado’s medical research supports over 7,000 Colorado workers and generates more than $1.56 billion for our state’s economy. Over the weekend, the Trump administration announced plans to slash more than $4 billion in federal funding for critical biomedical research nationwide. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, pausing their funding cuts.
These cuts would halt cutting-edge research across Colorado, including:
- Efforts at Fort Lewis College to identify new colon and pancreatic cancer treatments
- National Jewish Health’s leading research into asthma treatment and pulmonary function
- Research for children with Down Syndrome at Colorado State University
- Next-generation research at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs into the sequencing of chromosomal interactions
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center’s work on type 1 diabetes, breast cancer, and heart disease
Yesterday, Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor to raise alarm about the administration’s attempts to spread disinformation and anti-science views as well as the devastating impacts the proposed NIH cuts would have on Colorado.
“Biomedical research is the bedrock of how we bring forward and test new scientific discoveries and advance new treatments to dramatically improve care for children and adults. Restricting critical funding would have an immediate and devastating impact, shutting down programs, and potentially jeopardizing lives – setting our country back decades,” said Michael Salem, M.D., President and CEO of National Jewish Health, the leading respiratory hospital in the nation, based in Colorado.
Full text of the letter is available HERE.
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