FASEB Brings Scientists to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Research Funding

FASEB Brings Scientists to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Research Funding

Wednesday, March 18, 2026
FASEB hosted its annual Capitol Hill day, bringing 46 biomedical and biological researchers to Washington, D.C. to advocate for increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and other federal science agencies. Representing 19 FASEB member societies, the researchers came from 25 states across the country, from California to Maryland. Many of the attendees serve on the FASEB Board of Directors and Science Policy Committee. They were joined by FASEB's Howard Garrison Advocacy Fellows, a cohort of postdoctoral scholars and graduate students pursuing PhD's in the biomedical sciences. Howard Garrison Fellows are chosen from a highly competitive nationwide pool of applicants and receive instruction in advocacy, science policy, science communication, leadership development, and career exploration outside academia.

The FASEB advocates met with nearly 90 House and Senate offices, from both sides of the isle. During their meetings on Capitol Hill, advocates thanked members of Congress for working in a bipartisan manner to increase funding for NIH in the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations package that was signed into law in March. They also expressed gratitude for the language included in the FY 2026 NIH and NSF funding bills preventing NIH, NSF, and other agencies from capping facilities and administrative costs at 15 percent and the directive to involve stakeholders in developing a new transparent model to account for those critical research expenses. And importantly, they provided critical information to inform their Representatives and Senators of the importance of federal biomedical research investment, not only on the pace of discovery, but on the specific impact to their districts and states.

Additionally, the researchers shared FASEB's FY 2027 funding recommendations for NIH, NSF, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE SC), and the Veterans Administration Medical and Prosthetic Research Program. The funding requests were accompanied by the distribution of factsheets detailing how much funding each state and over 300 congressional districts received in FY 2025 from NIH, NSF, DOE SC, and USDA. The visits concluded with the researchers sharing personal stories about how federal funding supported their careers, including their ability to train the next generation of biomedical and biological researchers.

Each Spring, FASEB brings scientists to Capitol Hill to share the impact of federal funding at the state and local level. FASEB is one of the few organizations that engage federally funded scientists in direct advocacy with elected officials. This year's FASEB delegation was led by President Eric E. Kelley, who said, "I am proud to join my fellow advocates in taking time away from the lab to urge Congress to maintain and enhance the momentum by increasing the federal investment in biomedical and biological research. The funding approved for FY 2026 will provide vital resources to fuel our engine of medical discovery and transform the taxpayers' investment into lifesaving treatments, scientific breakthroughs, and a healthier future for all, but we cannot afford to sit idle and must continue to push for a continued and sustainable investment in biomedical research!"

Pictures and other highlights from FASEB's Capitol Hill Day can be viewed on the federation's LinkedIn, X, and Bluesky accounts.