NIH Workers* and Allies Mark One Year of Weekly Vigils to Acknowledge and Resist Losses from Trump Administration Anti-Science Policies
Bethesda, MD — April 29, 2025 — As Trump administration policies continue to slowly choke off life-saving National Institutes of Health (NIH) research, a group of NIH workers* and allies will mark one year of weekly vigil protests this Saturday, May 2, 2026.
Every Saturday morning since May 3, 2025, the NIH Vigils protest has called attention to the harm antiscience policies are causing to the American scientific enterprise, the economy and the public. The weekly ritual, which takes place outside the Medical Center Metro Station and NIH Welcome Center, includes updates on the status of NIH, comments from the community, and a recitation of the oath of office, where NIH workers and allies recommit to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
"In the NIH Vigils I have found a community. That community is the main reason I am still working at NIH, despite the continued assaults,” said Rui Pereira de Sa, Vigil Organizer and NIH Program Officer speaking in his personal capacity. “I am not alone, we are not alone, and we are stronger together."
EVENT: One year anniversary of the NIH Vigils protest
PARTICIPANTS: Off duty NIH Workers, patients and community members
DATE & TIME: Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 10 am EDT
LOCATION: Outside the Medical Center Metro Station and NIH Welcome Center, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD
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*NIH workers plan and attend vigils in their personal capacities