We the undersigned strongly urge our representatives to prevent the cuts to the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that President Trump has proposed in the 2018 FY budget.

The NIH is the largest single public funder of biomedical research in the world and is the envy of all other countries. Discoveries resulting from NIH funding have resulted in better quality of life worldwide. Thanks to NIH funding, investigators have advanced our understanding of health and disease. From developing new diagnostic tools for cancer to novel devices to manage diabetes, to ways to prevent cancer to novel treatments for emerging infections, our lives have been changed for the better thanks to NIH funding.

The benefits of NIH funding have also had a considerable impact on our economy. NIH-funded research has led to an estimated economic benefit of $95 trillion over the 1970-2000 period, roughly 5 times the current GDP! For every dollar invested in NIH research, our country has generated $60 billion in economic output nationwide every year. NIH-funded research drives the biomedical industry in the U.S. that in turn contributes $69 billion to the GDP and supports 7 million steady, largely high-wage jobs. Cutting the NIH budget directly jeopardizes these jobs and the American families that critically depend on them.

NIH funding is a global reference of American greatness. To maintain our greatness, we must ensure that NIH funding for biomedical research continues to support job-creating discovery. Our unquestioned global leadership in biomedical science discovery is threatened. Investment in research in the U.S. has increased by only 1% per year over the period from 2004 through 2011. In contrast, China is increasing its investment by 17% per year, and Australia, Japan, Canada, and Europe are increasing their investments from 4.1% to 9.3%. In this context, the proposed cuts to the NIH budget will cripple the NIH and directly threaten the leadership of America in biomedical research, a major driver of the US economy.

America must continue to lead the world, and Americans must continue to benefit from the tremendous economic payoff from investing in the NIH, including a steady stream of newly created high-wage jobs. We therefore collectively urge Congress to maintain or increase the current NIH budget.

Yours respectfully,