The present assault by President Donald Trump and the GOP on analysis funding on the Nationwide Institutes of Well being and greater than 100 universities will trigger many deaths from preventable illness. Most of us who’re over 60 are nonetheless alive due to vaccines (akin to for polio, measles, diphtheria, pneumonia, COVID-19 …) plus many newly found medicines. In my case, I’m nonetheless wholesome due to antibiotics, contraception drugs for household planning and the drug Synthroid for each day use after thyroidectomy. What medicines that have been found previously 75 years by NIH funding are serving to you survive?
The No. 1 purpose of Trump and the GOP is to present enormous tax breaks to billionaires. To do this, they’re prepared to kick tens of millions of individuals off well being care, power hospital closures together with these for veterans, and cut back Social Safety and Medicaid. The elimination by government order of already permitted well being care and analysis funding is against the law, for the reason that Structure provides Congress management over the budgets.
Please contact GOP congressional representatives and inform them to assist the Democrats cease this destruction.
Margaret Byers, Seattle (analysis professor, retired, College of Washington)