As President of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) and an active researcher with a life-long commitment to training the future scientific workforce, I am deeply alarmed by the planned termination of 1,200 employees of the National Institutes of Health (NIH, 6% of it’s workforce), along with 3,500 from the Food and Drug Administration (19% of its workforce) and 2,400 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (18% of its workforce). This decision is not just a loss of jobs—it is a direct threat to the approval of new medicines, our response to immediate public health crises, and the future of American biomedical research and scientific innovation.
NIH has long been the backbone of biomedical research in the United States, supporting life-saving research and fostering the next generation of scientists. The individuals who will lose their jobs include highly skilled researchers who advance scientific discovery, in addition to knowledgeable and experienced administrators and technical experts who are essential to sustaining the infrastructure that drives scientific progress. The loss of these employees will disrupt critical research, halt clinical trials, delay or prevent future research from starting, and create ripple effects that will be felt across universities, hospitals, and laboratories in every state.
Perhaps most heartbreaking is the loss of early-career scientists – those who represent the future of biomedical research. These individuals, who are highly dedicated to the pursuit of scientific discovery to improve human health, are experiencing unforeseen and unwarranted interruptions in their careers. There is a real risk that we are losing the next generation of researchers, which means we are also losing future breakthroughs, including the discovery of new ways to treat and manage disease. It is devasting to think of the talent, passion, and promise being driven away at a time when we need them most.
Diminishing NIH’s workforce undermines America’s leadership in science and technology and will have negative consequences for the economy. Every U.S. state benefits from NIH funding, which supported more than 400,000 jobs and generated close to $95 billion dollars in economic activity across the nation in fiscal year 2024.
This is not the time to decrease our support for research. As other countries ramp up investment, we risk falling behind. At a time when we should strengthen our investment in science, the termination of these employees weakens our scientific enterprise, our standing in the global scientific landscape, and our ability to respond to current and future public health challenges. AAI urges policymakers to reverse this decision immediately.
Stephen C. Jameson, Ph.D.
AAI President
