On September 17, nearly 300 scientists, medical professionals, patient advocates, and policy professionals converged on Capitol Hill for the 14th annual Rally for Medical Research. On the night before, a reception to celebrate medical research was held in the Dirksen Senate office building and featured notable speakers including Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), former Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and Reed Jobs, founder of the oncology-focused venture capital firm Yosemite and son of Steve Jobs, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2011.
AAI supported the travel of two AAI members to attend the event: Dr. Laurie Harrington, Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. Shruti Naik, Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. AAI has been a proud participant and sponsor of the Rally since its inception in 2013.
Key Messages
Rally Hill Day participants pressed lawmakers to provide at least $51.3 billion for NIH for fiscal year 2027, which is consistent with AAI’s funding recommendation for the agency. They also thanked Congress for including a provision in the recently enacted continuing resolution that blocks the finalization and implementation of a controversial White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposal through December 11, 2026.
As previously reported, the OMB proposed rule would dramatically change how federal grants are awarded and managed. Rally Hill Day participants urged lawmakers to take action to further block the proposed rule, at least through the end of FY 2027. Advocates warned that the rule, if implemented, would inject political considerations into federal research funding decisions, allow active grants (including those funding clinical trials) to be terminated for reasons unrelated to performance or scientific merit, and create profound uncertainty for researchers, institutions, and patients.
Finally, advocates urged Congress to keep America’s edge in innovation and highlighted that NIH-supported research generated $94.15 billion in economic activity in FY2025, supported nearly 391,000 jobs nationwide, and returned $2.57 for every $1 invested.
