MADISON, Wis. — Universities of Wisconsin leaders and health research organizations from across Wisconsin are pleading with the state’s congressional delegation to protect the federal funding they get from the National Institutes of Health.
President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed massive cuts to the indirect costs covered by NIH grants. Those indirect costs help research institutions pay for overhead expenses like building maintenance and administrative staff.
“Taking a meat cleaver to this funding is simply wrong, shortsighted, and will cause harm to people across the state of Wisconsin and the country,” UW President Jay Rothman said.
Watch: UW leaders call on Wisconsin's congressional delegation to protect
The cuts are on hold while a federal lawsuit plays out, but that hasn’t alleviated worries. According to court filings, UW-Madison alone could lose at least $65 million a year if the cuts go into effect.
“Desperately needed treatments would not be possible without NIH funding,” said UW-Milwaukee psychology professor Karyn Frick.
Thirty-six health research and business groups sent a letter to Wisconsin’s congressional delegation on Wednesday warning that the cuts could have devastating effects on the state’s economy and on progress towards cures for life-threatening diseases. The Medical College of Wisconsin, UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, Exact Sciences and GE HealthCare all signed onto the letter.
Meanwhile, the White House has continued to defend the cuts, saying they are necessary to get rid of “administrative bloat.”
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