Dear Editor:

Our Senator, Susan Collins, is the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. That committee will hold a session on Biomedical Research: Keeping America's Edge on April 30. It is unfathomable that we can maintain our leadership in innovation, given the recent devastating cuts to HHS, but perhaps the Committee can staunch the hemorrhage of talented researchers overseas.

As an infectious diseases physician and former clinical researcher, I understand the stakes. Clinical trials were stopped abruptly, even leaving patients in those trial abandoned. Research has stalled. Are you waiting for a new cure for your drug-resistant infection or cancer? Don't hold your breath.

Funding from the NIH, totaling $187 billion, contributed to 354 of 356 drugs (99.4%) approved from 2010 to 2019. A recent report found that the return was $2.56 for each dollar invested.

On March 27, the Department of Health and Human Services announced drastic cuts that would gut 20,000 jobs. Maine is not immune. In 2024, Maine received $125 million in NIH awards, directly supporting 1468 jobs and $286 in related economic activity. The state’s bioscience industry employs almost 10,000 people in 640 businesses. The median income in this industry in Maine is $108,287.

Life Sciences had a remarkable 31% growth rate in the past five years.

The cuts hit the hardest for the FDA (3500), NIH (1200), CMS, and SAMHSA. Besides the direct cuts, many contractors will lose their positions. Maine will lose 314 jobs and $73 million per year from recent cuts, with $501,000 coming from Lincoln County. (The largest Maine loss, $38 million yearly, is in Hancock County).

There’s no one left to sign off on grants for the upcoming fiscal year, as senior personnel at NIH who must do so were fired. These were funds already approved by Congress—so the will of the people is being ignored by making it impossible to disburse Congressionally-mandated funds.

There is no legitimate excuse for what this administration is doing to our research infrastructure. Science must remain politics-free and we must sustain investments in our future. Please tell Senator Collins. 5Calls.org makes it easy to do.

Judy Stone, MD

Boothbay Harbor