27 UNIHTED / NIH Vigils Newsletter 4/28/26
Hi NIH Vigilers and 27 UNIHTED Community,
If you’re at 40% this week, find a friend who’s at 100% and keep the resistance going!
Calls To Action
Comment on the Reduction In Force rule changeproposed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by May 4. Some of the proposed changes include:
Employee ranking by performance vs. length of service
Exclusion of probationary, trial, and short-term employees from RIF protections
Reduced consideration of tenure and veterans’ preference
Less regulation for internal reorganizations and large-scale eliminations
Add your name (or anonymous voice) to urge Congress to impeach OMB Director Russell Vought for unlawfully dismantling government services Americans rely on. The Impeach Vought campaign has 1,675+ signatures! Share the link with friends.
Reach out to your members of Congress about issues that matter to you. Some possible topics:
Support the NIH Fellows Union’s right to unionize. NIH continues to tell staff the union is null & void, but the union is legally recognized.
Limit multi-year funding cuts at NIH
Fight cuts to the NIH budget for FY27
Help the NIH Community: Review a resume, host a job workshop, plan a happy hour, volunteer and/or advocate with 27 UNIHTED. Check out the links on our website to take action and volunteer.
27 UNIHTED is looking for photos and videos from the following NIH Vigils: 5/4/25, 1/24/26, 3/14/26, 3/21/26, 4/11/26. We would like to document these vigils in our online gallery or future newsletters. Please send submissions to NIHaction@gmail.com by email or to DisgruntledQuokka.01 on Signal.
Upcoming Events
27 UNIHTED Events
Weekly NIH Vigil every Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
Weekly peer empowerment call every Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
Community Events
4/27 - Rise Up Frederick’s latest meetup for current and former government workers will be held Monday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. in the C. Burr Artz Library programming room. Both contractors and FTEs are welcome to this safe space.
4/27 - The Evidence Collective is holding a Vaccine Hesitancy Webinar on April 27 at 7:00 pm ET. Vigil Auntie and 27 UNIHTED Executive Director Anna Culbertson will be a guest speaker on the panel. Open to paid subscribers. Subscribe and register here.
5/1 - May Day Action in DC!Workers over Billionaires. No Work. No School. No Shopping.
9:30 am ET. Join NTEU* and FUN* DMV Working People’s Picket outside of The Mayflower Hotel, where Russell Vought is giving a keynote speech to corporate CEOs
12:00 pm ET. March and rally at the Washington monument in DC
7:00-10:00 pm. One year celebration of FLARE USA, ALL strike playing, 333 Constitution Avenue
5/2 - It’s the one-year Vigil-versary! Come celebrate a year of NIH vigils at 10:00 am in front of the Medical Center Metro station in Bethesda
5/4 - On Monday, May 4 at noon ET, the Partnership for Public Service will host a free webinar about how to tell your federal workforce story in congressional meetings. Learn more and RSVP here.
5/13 - Free webinar on modernizing NIH’s data and safety monitoring policy hosted by the NIH Office of Science Policy . Scientists, researchers and the public are welcome and feedback is requested. 11:30 am - 1:00 pm ET by NIH videocast. Registration required.
*NTEU - National Treasury Employees Union; *FUN - Federal Unionists Network
Vigil “Auntie” News
- The Good -
Democracy in action on immigration. Montgomery County unanimously passed the “Ice Out” legislation, barring privately owned immigration detention centers from operating in the County. The measure was introduced by Councilmember Evan Glass, who was a speaker at our No Kings Rally.
NIH increases pay for fellows. Despite refusing to recognize the Fellows Union, NIH announced pay increases consistent with the collective bargaining agreement, plus an additional increase to offset healthcare changes announced in December. It’s a big step in the right direction!
A court win on gender affirming care. A federal judge vacated RFK Jr.'s directive barring Medicare and Medicaid funding to hospitals providing gender-affirming care to minors. This follows a lawsuit by a coalition of 21 states and D.C.The judge ruled that RFK Jr. exceeded his authority and bypassed required rulemaking. The judge also called the directive unlawful and cruel, writing that it "harmed children." The decision bars HHS from enforcing the declaration or any similar policy.
Service dogs in the lab! Representative Juan Ciscomani (AZ) led a successful push to clarify federal guidance on permitting individuals with disabilities to have their service dogs present in laboratory settings at universities and other research facilities. Advocates argued that confusion around prior guidance language was keeping qualified individuals out of vital scientific work.
- The Bad -
NIH underspending $1 billion compared to prior years. Multiple articles highlighted how staff shortages and cumbersome & discriminatory screening processes are causing delays to thousands of research awards, on topics from women’s health to cancer, with mental health hit hardest. 27 UNIHTED has been tracking this issue on our website (with graphs!)
Flu vaccine no longer required for the military. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth ended military flu vaccine requirements in an announcement on April 21. This vaccine will now be voluntary for all military personnel. This action endangers military readiness, putting troops and the people they serve at risk.
HHS seeks employees reassignments to cover reasonable accommodations backlog. After repealing existing accommodations in the federal return-to-office executive order, HHS has racked up a backlog of 9,000+ requests. This self-inflicted wound was exacerbated by the centralization of request processing that now requires HHS approval at the assistant secretary level or above. Scrambling to cover the gap, HHS is inviting mid-career and senior employees to self-nominate for 3-6 month detail assignments and the CDC is opening up some “interim accommodations” for medical telework.
DHS shutdown continues. A record 70-day shutdown! DHS employees are facing software expirations, depleted supplies, and a feeling that they have been forgotten by Congress. Travel charges cannot be approved and personal costs cannot be reimbursed. Rationing and absenteeism is up. If FEMA’s Disaster Relief funds are depleted below a nearing threshold, it will restrict spending on hazard mitigation, re-building, and public assistance projects. The last full paycheck for TSA workers was given out on April 24.
- The Ugly -
Overhauled autism committee to meet April 28th. In January, RFK Jr. replaced the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) with members tied to harmful views, conflicts of interest, and organizations promoting contested autism treatments and unsubstantiated claims about vaccines. After canceling their first public meeting in March, the IACC has announced a new meeting on April 28th. We’ll be watching!
UT Austin student suspended for protest. A student has been suspended and banned from the UT Austin campusthrough 2026 for organizing a sit-in demanding a meeting over Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence." Other sit-in participants received deferred suspensions, all in an effort to silence dissenting student voices.
RFK Jr. dodged questions from Congress. On April 21 and 22, RFK Jr. was grilled by Congress in multiple hearings before House and Senate Committees. Questions were raised about:
The White House’s request for a 12.5% HHS budget cut (~$16 billion)
Consolidation of sub-agencies into the new “Administration for a Healthy America”
Anti-vaccination rhetoric and policy-making from HHS officials despite a recent poll showing that a majority of Americans support childhood vaccine access and measles rates are up
How the administration’s anti-DEI mandate was impacting research in women’s health
Comparing US spending on healthcare/ education to war with Iran (currently >$25 billion)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approving increased Medicare Advantage payments for 2027, following insurance company lobbying
The firing of former CDC director, Susan Monarez, allegedly over childhood vaccine policies
FDA’s decision to reject a doctor-supported therapy to treat advanced skin cancer
Wellness Weekly
Our somewhat serious community recommendations for self care are:
Sit in front of a fire - real or on your screen
Make iced coffee at home and pretend it counts as financial planning
Complete the edge pieces on a puzzle
Check out our new merch shop
Donate to your favorite non-profit supporting biomedical research, public health and the federal scientific workforce
In solidarity,
27 UNIHTED and NIH Vigils