In a recent move signaling bipartisan unity, San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer expressed enthusiasm following the county’s resolution opposing a proposed 40% budget cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
On Tuesday, the board of supervisors voted unanimously, 4-0, in favor of the resolution first presented by Lawson-Remer on May 19. The resolution articulates the county’s deep concern over recent federal initiatives that threaten the NIH’s funding, which is deemed crucial for maintaining San Diego’s strength in the biomedical sector.
The resolution explicitly calls for increased federal investment in the NIH, citing the importance of state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure at sustainable levels to foster both regional innovation and the biomedical leadership that San Diego is known for.
Lawson-Remer, who serves as the board’s vice chair, highlighted alarming statistics regarding the proposed budget reductions.
She noted that NIH grant-making has seen a decline of $2.3 billion compared to the previous fiscal year, prompting a worryingly high number of nearly 800 grants—many of which are critical clinical trials at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)—to be canceled or frozen.
Additionally, changes to NIH reimbursement rules have led UCSD to project a significant financial loss of approximately $150 million.
Another point of contention is the proposed 15% cap on indirect reimbursements, which could cost the San Diego region close to $448 million annually.
Moreover, Lawson-Remer pointed out that the NIH has recently laid off 1,200 employees, including vital scientific reviewers, raising concerns about delayed research outcomes due to slower review processes.
The impact of these cuts could extend beyond UCSD, affecting other prominent local institutions such as Scripps Research and the Salk Institute as well, according to Lawson-Remer’s office.
The proposed federal cuts could potentially lead to over $500 million in economic losses and endanger more than 3,000 jobs within San Diego’s renowned research and biotechnology ecosystem. While intended as part of the Trump administration’s strategy to enhance government efficiency, local stakeholders are warning of dire consequences for the $57 billion life sciences sector in San Diego County.
Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, who was appointed as the new NIH director in March, stated his commitment to addressing chronic health issues in the U.S. In his words, chronic conditions, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, remain key challenges across all communities.
He emphasized the necessity for novel biomedical discoveries to improve health outcomes and extend life, vowing to support groundbreaking research initiatives to confront this ongoing chronic disease crisis.
Between February and April, the federal government terminated approximately 700 NIH grants valued at $1.81 billion, which corresponds to roughly 3.3% of NIH’s entire annual budget based on a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Before the supervisors’ vote, Nikia Clarke from the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation provided a briefing on the potential implications of federal budget cuts.
Clarke underscored the uncertainties looming over federal funding in 2025 during Trump’s presidency, suggesting that the disturbance in funding could hamper the development of future scientific talent in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
According to Clarke’s projections, this disruption may have long-range consequences for innovation over the next five to ten years across the country.
Lawson-Remer noted that her district contains key innovation hubs located in Carmel Valley and Sorrento Valley.
She stressed, “This is happening; it’s hurting our economy, but it’s also going to eventually cost lives.”
Referencing a local doctor, Roman Szkopiec, who was diagnosed with a rare form of aggressive cancer, Lawson-Remer illustrated the critical role of clinical trials.
Szkopiec was given a limited prognosis of six months to live but, after participating in a UCSD clinical trial, he has enjoyed a much longer recovery, providing an important anecdote highlighting the significance of NIH funding.
Public comments from the community echoed concerns regarding talent loss in the scientific field, with one university graduate emphasizing how the cuts are detrimentally affecting her career aspirations.
She remarked that her peers are contemplating relocating to Canada or Europe for graduate studies due to the uncertainty surrounding funding in the U.S.
Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe also expressed her support for the resolution, acknowledging that while systems can benefit from scrutiny and improvement, the risk of a ‘brain drain’ is particularly disheartening.
Such sentiments reflect the broader apprehension surrounding the potential erosion of the next generation of scientists and innovators due to funding reductions in biomedical research.
image source from：https://patch.com/california/san-diego/county-supervisors-ok-resolution-opposing-nih-cuts
