FASEB Offering Summer Advocacy Opportunities to Research Community

By: Jennifer Zeitzer
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Amid ongoing disruptions in federal funding for research, the abrupt and legally questionable termination of National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, and other threats, FASEB is offering multiple opportunities for researchers to engage in advocacy over the next few months. Membership in a FASEB society is not required to participate in or take advantage of the following advocacy activities:

August Advocacy Challenge – advocates are requested to take a specific action each week for four consecutive weeks:

• Week #1: August 4-8 – Request a meeting with your Senators/Representative either virtually or in-person at one of their local/state offices. Use FASEB’s template to request a meeting and or the Contact Me form on your Representative's or Senator's website. Invite other researchers, graduate students, or trainees to join you in the meeting.
• Week #2: August 11-15 – Subscribe to your Senator's/Representative’s electronic newsletter and/or follow them on social media (BlueSky, Instagram, etc.) Their websites will list links to their social media channels, and most have a pop-up message that allows you to sign up for their e-newsletter. This is also a good time to follow up on the meeting request you submitted during week 1 if you did not receive a response.
• Week #3: August 18-22 – Respond to FASEB’s e-action alert focused on NIH funding. Subscribe to the e-action alert list to make sure you do not miss the opportunity to email your members of Congress using FASEB’s trusted online system.
• Week #4: August 25-29 – Write and submit an op-ed or letter-to-the-editor (LTE) to your local or regional newspaper. Members of Congress pay far more attention to the local press than national outlets. Not sure how to get started? Watch the recording of FASEB’s op-ed/LTE training session, which features tips from a researcher who has published multiple letters, including several already this year.

FASEB will also host bi-weekly Advocacy Town Hall meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from noon to 1 pm ET, beginning on August 5. Registration will be required (one-click to sign up for the entire series). The Town Hall meetings will be open to all advocates. Attendees do not have to be a member of a FASEB society, and individuals can participate as they are able. The agenda will be informal, but each meeting will feature Capitol Hill and science policy updates from FASEB staff, joint sharing of intelligence and other information, and time for audience questions and answers. Subscribe (check the box that says Washington Update e-newsletter) to FASEB’s Washington Update newsletter to receive information about how to register for the Town Hall meetings. 

Congress is about to break for its traditional summer break when Senators and Representatives will be in their states and districts throughout the entire month of August. For those who are deeply disturbed by the actions of the new administration, this is an ideal time for advocates to re-double their efforts to explain to elected officials the danger our nation faces if they do not block the proposed cuts to research. Especially as the Senate and House Appropriations Committees continue working on the legislation that will fund NIH and NSF in fiscal year 2026. Although those committees have made preliminary decisions about the NSF budget, action on the bill that funds NIH is not expected until early-September, giving advocates another month to make their case about the need for increased funding for biomedical research. Many members of Congress have already spoken out in opposition to the proposed 40 percent cut to NIH, and there are signs that legislators are willing to push back against the administration’s desire to reduce funding for NSF as well.