27 UNIHTED / NIH Vigils Newsletter 3/8/26
Hi NIH Vigilers and 27 UNIHTED Community,
March is rolling along!
Calls To Action
Sign a letter written by former and current feds calling for the impeachment of White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought
Reach out to your Representatives about the issues that matter to you–in particular, call on them to block the establishment of an ICE detention center in Maryland
Leave comments about proposed policies on the Federal Register or NIH’s website
Fill out 27 UNIHTED’s survey about the February 2025 layoffs of probationary employees
Volunteer with us to help the NIH community
Upcoming Events
27 UNIHTED Events:
Weekly Peer Empowerment Call every Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Weekly NIH Vigil every Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
Community events:
On Monday, March 9, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., the Rise Up Frederick monthly meeting (15 W. Church St.) will include discussion of disruptions to the federal workforce and civil service. The Vigil community is represented by Bethesda Declaration Signers David Cassatt and Cara Anjos Breeden.
On Friday, March 13, 5:00-9:00 p.m., join the wellfed team, partners, community members, and sponsors at Wild Days on the Eaton Hotel rooftop (1201 K St. NW, DC) as we celebrate one year of showing up for each other. Register to reserve your tickets!
On Saturday, March 28, there will be a nationwide No Kings Rally. We will be having a special vigil, so stay tuned for updates!
Vigil “Auntie” News
Hard Hits:
The NIH Director unilaterally declared that NIH no longer recognizes the Fellows Union. This action is another example of disrespect for both the law and the indispensable contributions that fellows provide to research at NIH. It is also a sign of hypocrisy from an NIH Director who claims that early career investigators are a priority. The NIH Fellows Union (UAW) is recognized by the Federal Labor Relations Authority and represents early career basic and clinical scientists.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) continues to stall funding at NIH and other grant making institutions. OMB continues to delay the flow of the congressionally approved budget funds to NIH and other science-supporting agencies.
Schedule Career/Policy is here. Starting Monday, tens of thousands of public servants may lose the protections of civil service and become “political appointees” at the strike of an auto pen. This turns civil servants into “at will” employees that the White House can easily remove. A coalition of unions and non-profit organizations sued the Administration, seeking an injunction.
OMB deputy director reaffirms assault on public service, publicly announcing that continuing to reduce the number of federal workers remains “priority number one” for the White House.
The Guardian reports on the mass exodus of scientists–brain drain. Drastic federal funding cuts and political disruptions are causing thousands of young researchers to flee the United States for positions in Europe, Australia, and Asia. “If you delay and terminate training grants, it’s like a snowball effect. Eventually you start wiping out our next generation of scientists.”
Positive News:
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) reauthorization approved in the Senate. Your phone calls and face-to-face congressional interactions, including those by our very own team at 27 UNIHTED, were essential for this first step. The bill still needs to pass the House and be signed into law. Please continue to reach out to your representatives to press for support. The delay in the authorization led NIH to cancel NIH’s April submission deadline.
FDA vaccine chief Vinay Prasad is leaving FDA… again. He leaves as a result of internal political tensions following FDA’s controversial handling of vaccine approvals. This removal or resignation is part of the fight for political control over public health and health regulators, in disdain of science and evidence. Prasad returns to the University of California, San Francisco.
Local "ICE Out Act" (Bill 13-26) is backed by the full council. Introduced by Council member Evan Glass, this legislation aims to prohibit private, for-profit entities from operating immigrant detention facilities in Montgomery County. Let’s show our appreciation to our local representatives!
Wellness Weekly
Our somewhat serious community recommendations for self care are:
Take a gymnastics class
Take up a hobby and post about it on the internet
Read a book about the history of the National Institutes of Health, like we are
Check out our new Merch Shop!
As we are migrating our store into our new Squarespace storefront, we have a temporary way of purchasing our merchandise through our website! We are in the process of migrating all items, but in the meantime check out our new 27 UNIHTED shirts and bags and NIH Vigil water bottles.
We are so grateful for the community we have built and the friends we have made. If you do nothing else, thank yourself for being a part of the community we have created.
In solidarity,
27 UNIHTED and NIH Vigils