[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 1, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H1380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NIH CUTS PUT AMERICAN LIVES AT RISK

  (Ms. Johnson of Texas was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  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.

                          ____________________