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NIH Scientists Issue ‘Bethesda Declaration’ to Protest Research Politicization
Shelby Bradford, PhD
On Monday, June 9, 2025, more than 300 current and former employees across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) signed and submitted a formal letter to Jay Bhattacharya, director of the NIH, outlining their concerns about several changes to research funding and staffing across the institution. The letter, called the Bethesda Declaration, was also sent to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and members of Congress who serve on panels related to the NIH.
The Bethesda Declaration calls for an end to what NIH employees say is the politicization of research which wastes taxpayer money, threatens the well-being of clinical trial participants, and disregards the patients who donated biological samples to advance research. They highlighted the cancellation of more than 2,100 (and increasing) NIH grants and freezes on funding to universities as examples of political targeting. The letter also called attention to examples in which funding decisions for grants and applications appeared to be politically motivated, which they said “undermine peer review”. Additionally, they raised concerns about the stymying of scientific discovery because of halted global collaborations and terminations across the NIH.
https://the-scientist.com/from-the-front-lines-at-harvard-battling-trump-s-attack-on-science-73054
The signers stated in that letter that their prior communications about these concerns had not been adequately heard and responded to. The Declaration states that while the above actions reduced NIH spending, these come at the expense of “life-saving research” with no improvement in efficiency.
Some people signed the letter anonymously while other NIH scientists and staff members signed with their names visible. So far, more than 6,000 people, many of whom are also scientists working beyond the NIH, have signed the letter after its release in support. Multiple researchers shared the letter on LinkedIn. Some indicated their personal reasons for signing the letter, which included supporting clinical trial participants and underserved communities affected by these policy changes. In a statement for the Associated Press, Jenna Norton, a program director at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said, “I want people to know how bad things are at [the] NIH.”
The release of the Bethesda Declaration coincides with a hearing of the Senate Appropriation Committee's Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. At the hearing, Bhattacharya testified on the federal budget proposed by the Trump Administration that reduces funding to the NIH by more than 40 percent. In response to the letter, some members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce asked for a hearing with Bhattacharya regarding points made in the Bethesda Declaration.
