More than 300 scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have signed an open letter to Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, expressing deep concern over what they describe as politically driven disruptions to research, loss of global collaboration, and staff and funding cuts under the Trump administration.
Known as the Bethesda Declaration, the letter includes 92 public signatories and 250 anonymous but verified ones. It states that NIH’s mission is being undermined by political interference and mismanagement, which the scientists say harms public health efforts.
“We dissent to Administration policies that undermine the NIH mission,” the letter reads. “We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety.”
Organizers said the decision to go public came after internal concerns were repeatedly ignored. One of the letter’s authors, Jenna Norton, said the choice to speak out carried personal risk but was necessary. “We also need to think about the risk of not speaking up,” she told ABC News.
The declaration was modeled after the Great Barrington Declaration, co-authored by Bhattacharya in 2020, which controversially opposed COVID-19 lockdowns. Norton said they hoped to appeal to Bhattacharya’s public support for academic freedom and dissent.
The letter calls on Bhattacharya to:
- Reinstate delayed or canceled grants halted for political reasons.
- Restore international collaborations.
- Reverse a new NIH cap on indirect research costs at 15%.
- Rehire essential staff who were let go.
In response, Bhattacharya acknowledged policy disagreements but welcomed respectful dissent. “We all want the NIH to succeed,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services defended the administration, saying international collaborations continue and the 15% cap mirrors other funding agencies like the Gates Foundation.
Scientists who signed the letter, including NIH postdoc Ian Morgan and National Cancer Institute branch chief Sarah Kobrin, described the policy shifts as disruptive and demoralizing. Many experienced restrictions on research activities and confusion over terminated grants—reportedly over 2,100, totaling $9.5 billion.
Kobrin said her work has shifted from supporting researchers to consoling those whose projects were cut, often without clear scientific justification.
Despite frustrations, Morgan said the letter is also a call to action and a message of hope: “We still have time to right the ship… We are all powerful.”
NIH researchers are encouraging the public to sign a companion letter or contact their congressional representatives in support.
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