FASEB Urges Advocates to Contact Congress in August

By: Jennifer Zeitzer
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Members of Congress are home in their states and districts for the entire month of August, meeting with constituents and local business leaders and hosting town hall meetings to hear from voters. Prior to leaving for summer break, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill rejecting the administration’s proposed 40 percent cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and instead providing a $400 million increase for biomedical research. Senate Appropriators also passed legislation that would flat fund NSF rather than enact the 60 percent reduction requested by the White House. The Appropriations Committee bills must still be approved by the full Senate, which has not released its fall legislative schedule yet.

The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the NIH and the National Science Foundation (NSF) funding bills in early September, making it imperative that advocates contact their representatives now to push back against the administration’s suggested cuts to research agencies. A draft bill released by the House Appropriations Committee in July recommended a $2 billion cut for NSF.  

Advocates can send emails to their members of Congress using FASEB’s trusted online system that ensures messages are not diverted by spam filters. Three e-action alerts are currently available:

• Senate – thank Senators for continuing investments in NIH and NSF
• House (NIH Funding) – urge the House to protect funding for NIH by approving the Senate’s recommendation instead 
• House (NSF Funding) – tell the House to reject the president’s and Appropriations Committee's plans to cut funding for NSF in FY 2026

FASEB also has a new August Recess Advocacy Toolkit which includes resources for requesting a meeting with your members of Congress or their aides, writing and submitting an op-ed or letter-to-the-editor to your local or regional newspaper, and engaging with elected officials on social media. The toolkit also features tips for effectively telling your story to build support for stronger investments in funding for biomedical research and a guide for inviting Senators and Representatives to visit a research lab in their state/district. 

In addition, FASEB is continuing to host bi-weekly Advocacy Town Hall meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from noon to 1 pm Eastern. The next meeting is on August 19. Registration is required, but one-click allows advocates to sign up for the entire series. The Town Hall meetings are open to anyone who wants to engage in advocacy. The Zoom link is provided after registration is completed. Those who register will also receive an email after each meeting that includes a summary of the discussion and links to key resources.