27 UNIHTED / NIH Vigils Newsletter 3/15/26

Mar 15

Written By Anna

Hi NIH Vigilers and 27 UNIHTED Community,

We made it through another week!

Reach out to your Representatives about the issues that matter to you–in particular, call on them to support the NIH Fellows Union and the right to unionize
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
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

27 UNIHTED Events:

Community events:

On Saturday, March 28, there will be a nationwide No Kings Rally. We will be having a special vigil featuring Allstrike and special guests!

Reduction in force appeal authority to be transferred to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The administration is moving to transfer RIF appeal authority away from the Merit Systems Protection Board and to OMB. This is yet another attempt to erode the merit-based civil service protections that were specifically designed to prevent political purging of federal workers. Just another reason to call for the impeachment of OMB Director Russell Vought.
Another week of impoundment—OMB continues to stall funding at NIH and other grantmaking institutions. OMB continues to delay the flow of the congressionally approved budget funds to NIH and other science-supporting agencies.
NIH Fellows United UAW Local 2750 is under fire from NIH Director Bhattacharya, who has stated that NIH Fellows are “not employees” and therefore should not have been recognized and certified as a bargaining unit by NIH. At the same time, the NIH petitioned the Federal Labor Relations Authority to decertify the union. Like many actions of the current administration, this is one more anti-science initiative, motivated by a desire to disempower early-career scientists. Stay tuned for energetic action on the part of the union and robust support by the entire NIH community. Stronger together!

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) reauthorization vote is scheduled for Monday, March 16. Your phone calls, media and face-to-face congressional interactions, including 27 UNIHTED outreach, helped move the Senate! The bill now needs to pass the House. Please continue to reach out to your representatives to press for support, both today and tomorrow!
The Rally to Take Back Science: Stand Up for Science in Washington DC last Saturday—immediately following the NIH Vigil—was heavily attended. The rally featured Congressman Jamie Raskin, who blasted congressional inaction in supporting NIH. Senator Chris Van Hollen thanked scientists and their supporters for trying to keep American science great. Our own Jenna Norton and Ian Morgan spoke. Jenna’s talk focused on the importance of speaking out and Ian’s condemned the NIH Director's recent declaration that the NIH Fellow's Union UAW Local 2750 was no longer recognized by NIH. (It is, of course, with a legally binding contract in place.)
The Impeach OMB Director Russell Vought campaign surpassed 1,000 signatures, including civil servants from more than 50 different government agencies.

Our somewhat serious community recommendations for self care are:

Check out our new merch shop and donate page!

In solidarity,

27 UNIHTED and NIH Vigils

Anna

27 UNIHTED / NIH Vigils Newsletter 3/8/26