'It Is The Foundation Of America's Medical Research': Julie Johnson Hammers Trump's NIH Cuts

4/1/2025

During remarks on the House floor, Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) spoke about President Donald Trump's cuts to the National Institute of Health.

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Transcript

00:00Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak out against another outrageous move by

00:06Donald Trump, his attack on the National Institutes of Health. The NIH is not

00:11just another governmental agency, it is the foundation of America's medical

00:16research. It funds life-saving breakthroughs that doctors and

00:20scientists rely on to treat and cure diseases. It supports the work that helps

00:26us fight cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, and rare genetic

00:31disorders. It fuels innovation that leads to better treatment, more effective

00:36medications, and new medical technologies. And yet, Donald Trump and the Republicans

00:42in this building want to gut it. Trump has proposed slashing billions of

00:47dollars from the NIH budget, which would cripple research, stall medical progress,

00:51and put American lives at risk. These cuts would mean fewer clinical trials,

00:56new treatments, and advances in the fights against the diseases that impact

01:00millions of Americans. Every person in this country, every patient battling

01:05illness, every doctor searching for answers, every family hoping for a cure,

01:11would feel the consequences of these disastrous cuts. Let's be clear what's at

01:17stake. The NIH funds over 300,000 researchers across the country,

01:22supporting studies that have led to some of the most important medical

01:26breakthroughs in history. This funding helped develop treatments that have

01:30increased cancer survival rates, improved heart disease prevention, and even led to

01:35vaccines that protect us from deadly viruses. It is responsible

01:40for the nearly every major medical advancement of the last century. These

01:46cuts are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they are a direct threat to

01:50American lives and health. If Trump and Republicans succeed in slashing NIH

01:56funding, it means that crucial research into diseases like Parkinson's, ALS,

02:01multiple sclerosis, will be delayed or abandoned altogether. It means that

02:08hospitals and research centers will struggle to continue their work. It means

02:12that the next big breakthrough, the next cure, the next life-saving drug, the next

02:19medical innovation that can save each one of our families and your family

02:24could be lost forever. And for Texas, the consequences would be severe. In 2023

02:32alone, the NIH invested over 1.5 billion dollars into Texas research

02:37institutions. This funding supports critical work at UT Southwestern and

02:42Dallas, where scientists are pioneering new cancer treatments. At Baylor College

02:47of Medicine in Houston, where researchers are leading the fight

02:50against Alzheimer's and heart disease. At the University of Texas at Austin and

02:55Texas A&M University, where cutting-edge biomedical research is shaping the

02:59future of medicine. If Trump's cuts go through, these institutions

03:05will lose the funding they need to continue their vital work. This attack on

03:10the NIH is part of a larger pattern. This is the same Donald Trump leading an

03:15administration that rejects science. He's threatening all of our health. He

03:20downplayed COVID-19, costing hundreds of thousands of American lives. He ignored

03:25public health experts and spread anti-science conspiracy theories where

03:30hospitals were overrun with dying patients. Trump already tried to cut NIH

03:36funding before, only to be stopped by a Democratic Congress. This time, he's

03:41taking direct aim at the very institution that helps doctors and

03:45scientists find cures, save lives, and protect public health. We cannot afford

03:51to let this happen. We must fight back. If we care about our family's health and

03:57future, we must reject these reckless cuts and demand more funding for NIH, not

04:02less. The research being conducted today will determine the treatments available

04:07tomorrow, and the investment we make in science now will save lives for

04:11generations to come. This is not a partisan issue. Well, rather, it should not

04:17be a partisan issue. Disease does not care whether you are a Republican or a

04:22Democrat. Cancer doesn't check your voter registration. Alzheimer's doesn't ask

04:28where you fall on the ideological spectrum. This is about protecting the

04:32health of every single American. I urge my colleagues in Congress and every

04:38American listening to stand up for science, stand up for medical research,

04:42stand up for the NIH. You and your family's health could depend on it. I

04:47yield back.

'It Is The Foundation Of America's Medical Research': Julie Johnson Hammers Trump's NIH Cuts

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