27 UNIHTED / NIH Vigils Newsletter 8/2/26

Written By Cara AB

Hi NIH Vigilers and 27 UNIHTED Community,

We stand with Dr. Fauci and hope you do, too. 

Vigil “Auntie” News 

- The Good -

Senators reach budget deal to temporarily block the OMB grant-making rule.  A proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that will politicize Federal grant-making procedures garnered strong opposition with an unprecedented number of comments submitted in response to the rule.  This week, Senate Democrats made blocking the OMB rule part of their  negotiation platform for a stopgap spending bill.  On Sunday, Senators landed on a deal that will fund the government through December 11 and prevent implementation of the proposed rule during that period.  A procedural vote to advance the deal is scheduled for today (Monday, Aug. 3).  

Dr. Fauci testifies, pleading the 5th.  Refusing to play into Sen. Rand Paul's “obsession,” Dr. Anthony Fauci chose not to further engage those who are attacking him.  Fauci complied with a subpoena for a hearing conducted by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which was convened over the objection of democratic committee membership.  The committee will vote next week to determine if he should be held in contempt.  We at 27 UNIHTED stand with Dr. Fauci and appreciate his more than 50 years of service to NIH and his commitment to helping the American people and others around the world. 

State Department renews funding for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.  The State Department is reinstating $600 million of funding to Gavi, an international organization increasing access to  vaccines around the globe, after nearly a year of withholding congressionally appropriated funds for FY25 and FY26.  Gavi committed to phase in mercury-free alternatives to vaccines currently available in Asia, Africa and Latin America. 

Oregon Health and Science University voted to continue animal research at its National Primate Research Center because it does not have the funds necessary to convert the center to an animal sanctuary.  This decision will maintain critical support for animal research that has produced life-saving advances in medicine and human health, while dealing a setback to the Trump Administration’s political assault on research, including an effort to end research with animal models.  

Community Good:

The Federal Worker Lead and 27 UNIHTED endorsed Impeach Vought campaign was mentioned on the Daily Beans podcast.  27 UNIHTED posted an article by a former NIEHS program officer outlining the harms to the NIEHS over the last year and a half. 

- The Bad -

Senate HELP committee advances nomination for CDC director.  Erica Schwartz refused to say she would stand up for science in the face of politicized orders similar to those experienced by her predecessor during her confirmation hearing.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and multiple public health advocates were disappointed by her testimony, but the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has advanced her nomination.  Our colleagues at the National Public Health Coalition will be following closely. 

- The Ugly -

New attempt to shut down gain-of-function research.  HHS, NIH, and the White House announced a new policy, termed “U.S. Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research” prohibiting federally funded “dangerous gain-of-function” research, with a carve out possible after sign-off from an unnamed third-party review body.  This policy will also impact international research collaborations, and advocacy organizations say it will be harmful to the development of important research.  Dr. Bhattacharya has advocated against GoF research since the beginning of his term as Director at NIH, so this is a continuation of that mission.

OPM collects federal employees, retirees, and family's medical records.  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is moving forward with a proposed initiative to collect data on federal employees, their families, and retirees.  The stated goal is to identify instances of fraud and abuse, but OPM is taking minimal precautions towards protecting privacy, and has noted it may re-identify data at a later time. 

The Trump administration to gut nearly all of Head Start's rules.  The Administration intends to deregulate Head Start by erasing most of the HHS Head Start program’s standards, including class sizes, curriculum, health and dental screenings, and home visits.  The change is framed as shifting power to states; critics warn centers will drop the services that have made Head Start a key anti-poverty program since 1965.  Sources familiar with the draft say it will bar children with non-citizen parents from enrolling, even if the children themselves are U.S. citizens.  Project 2025 called for eliminating the $12 billion program, outright. 

Reflection from the Community

“Grateful you and others are still fighting.”

- anonymous worker to a 27 UNIHTED volunteer

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.

  • Crow’s Nest Baltimore is showing “22 Federal Workers”:  a virtual exhibition of oil portraits by NIHer and artist “Paint Brains” honoring federal workers and their public-service contributions. On display online through October 10.  

Community Events

  • 8/14, 10:00- 11:00 a.m. - NIH videocast: Understanding NIH's Unified Funding Strategy: What the Research Community Needs to Know.  This new policy approach was announced last November and multiple IC Directors offered their perspectives in February.  Register through this form link. 

  • 8/18, 1:30 p.m. - NIH Small Business 101.  NIH is hosting a free webinar series on small business funding opportunities (SBIR/STTR) on Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. ET. The last, “Managing Foreign Risk,” will occur on August 18.

Calls To Action

*Urgent Action: Ending Today* Leave a public comment on another OPM rule attacking the federal workforce by Monday, August 3  The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)'s proposed rule, “Promoting Employee Accountability” (docket OPM-2025-0012), would significantly shorten reply deadlines, scrap the mandatory factors determining discipline for a vaguer “totality of the circumstances” test, and restrict settlement agreements that let employees resolve disputes without a tainted personnel record. This is another opportunity for you to push back on a policy that will affect Civil Service protections.

*Ending Tomorrow* Should NIH cap simultaneously held research grants? - comments due tomorrow, August 4

NIH has posted a new Request for Information notice that suggests limiting the number of research project grants (RPGs) that an individual investigator can hold simultaneously. The intention is reasonable—to allow a larger number of researchers the opportunity to pursue their research ideas. The suggested limits are 2, 3, or 4.  It is important to note that the proposal does not indicate exceptions for small grants or multiple PI grants.  Researchers’ feedback on this proposal seems to be mixed, so if you want to share your thoughts, submit your feedback by August 4.

*New* Submit Ideas for Future NIH Common Fund Priorities - Due September 19

NIH is seeking public input on cross-cutting biomedical and behavioral research challenges that could be addressed through workshops, pilot initiatives, or future NIH Common Fund programs.  Direct inquiries to: Common Fund Office, Office of the Director (OD), cf-ideas@mail.nih.gov. Responses are due September 19.

Endorse the Bethesda Declaration - One Year Later

A year after the release of the original Bethesda Declaration, NIH staff remain concerned. The chaos of 2025 has been replaced with coordinated, systematic, institutionalized destruction in 2026. If you share these concerns, be counted as a supporter of the Bethesda Declaration: One Year Later. Learn more about the Bethesda Declaration Movement on 27 UNIHTED's Bethesda Declaration Hub.

Impeach Vought

Add your name (or anonymous voice) on the petition to urge Congress to impeach OMB Director Russell Vought for unlawfully dismantling government services Americans rely on. Learn more at www.impeachvought.com/.

Stand with EPA scientists

Over 100 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees were fired for signing a Declaration of Dissent raising concerns about their working environment and recent policy changes. Sign the petition to support these silenced staff members who were retaliated against for speaking out to protect science and public health.

Sign on for Scientific Integrity

The Union of Concerned Scientists has drafted a letter of support for the Scientific Integrity Act, which has been reintroduced to the Senate. Let our leaders know that evidence-based decision making is important to you by signing The Momentum for Scientific Integrity Action here.

Stand up for the National Science Board

On April 25, the Trump administration dismissed all sitting members of the National Science Board, an independent advisory group for the National Science Foundation. Sign this open letter to Congress from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine (NASEM), asking for the reinstatement of fired members and appointments for all vacant positions. 27 UNIHTED has added its organizational endorsement.  

Reach out to your members of Congress about issues that matter to you. 

Some possible topics:

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. 

Wellness Weekly

Our somewhat serious community recommendations for self-care are:

  • Eat some fruit

  • Watch YouTube!

  • Read that journal article you bookmarked for someday

In solidarity,

27 UNIHTED and NIH Vigils

Cara AB
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27 UNIHTED / NIH Vigils Newsletter 7/26/26