PRESS
Press Contact: Email: [email protected] Signal: Cdelawalla.46
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2025
Press Contact: Brian Lovett [email protected] | signal: cdelawalla.46
NIH Staff Demand NIH and HHS Leadership Uphold NIH Mission in “Bethesda Declaration"
Washington, D.C. — Federal employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have stood up for the health and safety of the American people and faithful stewardship of public resources, demanding HHS and NIH leadership uphold the mission of the NIH “to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.” The Bethesda Declaration, addressed to Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Secretary Kennedy, and members of Congress who oversee the NIH, raises concern over pressure to implement measures that harm the public. The document outlines how recently enacted policies interrupt ongoing clinical trials and patient care, public health monitoring, critical research, and early career scientist training programs.
NIH Staff say that because of termination of essential employees, politicization of research, and funding cuts they are unable to uphold their commitment to the NIH mission, the American people, and their ethical charge as scientists. Despite fears of retaliation, the Bethesda Declaration has been signed by over 300 NIH Staff including 93 staff who signed their full name.
“Standing up in this way is a risk, but I am much more worried about the risks of not speaking up. If we don’t speak up, we allow continued harm to research participants and public health in America and across the globe. If we don’t speak up, we allow our government to curtail free speech, a fundamental American value.” says Jenna Norton, PhD, MPH, NIDDK Program officer and one of the lead organizers of the Declaration.
Experts say the abrupt changes to the NIH threaten the ecosystem of the biomedical advancement. “The partnership between NIH and the academic community has made huge contributions to the almost every aspect of health of people across the US. Since January, the NIH staff have been forced to focus on issues other than the noble NIH mission. A large group of public servants have found the courage to speak out and say ‘Enough. Let us get back to our important work.’”, says Jeremy M. Berg, PhD, Former Director, National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
“It has been soul destroying to witness the politicization of research resulting in mass termination of grants that are in progress and doing well. It violated my Hippocratic oath,” says one NIH employee who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Stand Up for Science is hosting the Bethesda Declaration and a letter of support. They are asking the public to join with them in supporting these federal employees by signing their open letter. Current supporters include Nobel Laureates, prominent scientists, politicians, activists, patients, and more.
According to Colette Delawalla, MA, MS, founder and executive director of Stand Up for Science, “These NIH employees have devoted their lives to civil service—they care deeply about the public. This is why they are courageously holding NIH and HHS leadership accountable. We are honored they have trusted us with this act of resistance and welcome any such future collaborations with other groups.”
At this historic moment, Stand Up for Science calls on the members of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee who will be soliciting testimony from NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya Tuesday at 10am to seek his commitment of support for NIH staff members signing the Bethesda Declaration.
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We have 5 current NIH employees who are willing to go on record (and several who are willing to speak on conditions of anonymity), available for interview. For security reasons, we have not listed them in this release, but welcome interested parties to contact [email protected].
Colette Delawalla (Founder and Executive Director) is available to discuss the impact of this action on the broader effort to save science, call to action for the public, and encourage other federal agency employees to do the same.
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About Stand Up for Science: Stand Up for Science is a grassroots Washington, D.C. based 501(c)4 non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. We formed Stand Up for Science within days of executive orders breaking down federal science agencies. Weeks later, on March 7th, our first National Day of Action, we mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world in support of science. We received coverage from local, national, and international outlets, including Science, Nature, The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Scientific American, STAT News, and The Scientist. An opinion piece written by our founding leadership team is also available in Nature Human Behavior: “Why we organized ‘Stand Up for Science.’”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2025
Press Contact: Jemarie Rubilla [email protected] | signal: cdelawalla.46
Scientists Raise Alarm Over Trump Executive Order Instituting Political Oversight of U.S. Research
Washington, D.C. — Trump’s recent Executive Order on “Gold Standard Science” is an open assault on science and scientific research in the United States. In an open letter from Stand Up for Science, Nobel laureates and thousands of other scientists decry the new Executive Order, which calls for politically appointed officers to identify and punish researchers who conduct science that does not meet Trump’s political qualifications.
On the evening of Friday, May 23rd, 2025, The White House released an Executive Order called Restoring Gold Standard Science. Scientists say the EO will undermine scientific rigor and the transparent progress of science, making U.S. research less credible, less reliable, and less impartial.
“As scientists, we are committed to a discipline that is decentralized and self-scrutinizing. Instead, this administration mandates a centralized system serving the political beliefs of the President and the whims of those in power,” reads the open letter.
“This Executive Order is an escalation of Trump’s ongoing assault on science,” says Colette Delawalla, founder and executive director of Stand Up for Science. “The White House is twisting scientific language in an attempt to justify political interference in what scientists are allowed to study and in the process of science itself.”
The EO is the latest in a series of heavy blows to the scientific ecosystem of the United States– including cancelling thousands of active research grants in climate science, misinformation and disinformation, vaccines, mental health, women’s health, LGBTQ+ health, and STEM education. Trump has also advanced a Congressional budget calling for massive cuts to federal spending on research and development and levied significant retaliation against universities that have not fallen in line with his demands.
Leading scientists are concerned this Executive Order is reminiscent of historical examples of political interference with science—including the Soviet Union’s political decision to reject agricultural science, which resulted in a famine that killed millions.
“We feel a responsibility to alert the public to what is at stake,” Delawalla says. “Our goal is to raise awareness of this Executive Order and highlight the historical parallels with authoritarian takeovers. This is a dangerous path.
The letter has been up for less than a day and has amassed over two thousand signatures, including leaders in science such as Nobel Laureates Victor Ambros, PhD, Carol Greider, PhD, Joachim Frank, PhD, the Executive Director of the Center for Open Science Brian Nosek, PhD, Climate Scientist Michael E. Mann, leading disinformation scientist Kate Starbird, PhD, former Director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences Jeremy M. Berg, PhD.
“The ‘Restoring Gold Standard Science’ Executive Order is another link in a chain of cynical efforts going back more than a decade to undermine public trust in science,” says Jeremy Berg, PhD, a former NIGMS Director. “The proposed standards will be enforced by a political appointee who may ‘consult appropriate officials with scientific expertise...’ This represents yet another attempt to politicize science.”
For the full text and signatories: https://www.standupforscience.net/open-letter-in-support-of-science
Colette Delawalla (Founder and Executive Director) and others from the team are available to discuss the impact of the Executive Order on Americans, the role of science in democratic societies and the planned pro-science events across the Nation.
Additionally, Stand Up for Science has a new resource to connect the media with scientific sources. To request Press Connect sources, email [email protected] with the following: ideal source qualifications (e.g., PhD level, had a grant cut, from XXX city) and an overview of the topics you’d like to discuss.
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About Stand Up for Science: Stand Up for Science is a grassroots Washington, D.C. based 501(c)4 non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. We formed Stand Up for Science within days of executive orders breaking down federal science agencies. Weeks later, on March 7th, our first National Day of Action, we mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world in support of science. We received coverage from local, national, and international outlets, including Science, Nature, The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Scientific American, STAT News, and The Scientist. An opinion piece written by our founding leadership team is also available in Nature Human Behavior: “Why we organized ‘Stand Up for Science.’”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2025
Press Contact: Jemarie Rubilla [email protected] | signal: cdelawalla.46
Stand Up for Science Launches: The Summer Fight for Science
Washington, D.C. — Stand Up for Science, the non-profit organization that led the nationwide rallies on March 7th, 2025, is launching the Summer Fight for Science to combat the unprecedented attack on science by the Trump administration.
The Summer Fight for Science is a grassroots mobilization of scientists working to inform the public about the impact current and proposed cuts to research will have and pressure legislators to maintain science funding in the upcoming September budget vote. From teach-ins in churches and virtual open lab days, to science demonstrations at state fairs and farmers markets; they are taking science to the streets across the nation, all summer. Additionally, in partnership with groups like 5Calls.org and Indivisible, Stand Up for Science is mobilizing the fight for science and democracy.
According to Colette Delawalla, founder and executive director of Stand Up for Science, “The same freedom that supports a thriving democracy supports the ecosystem of American innovation. All of this is—and more—is at risk with the Administration’s cuts to federal science funding.”
The September Budget Vote will determine the future of the American scientific enterprise. The present draft includes nothing less than a scientific Armageddon. Specifically, it calls for a 56% cut to the National Science Foundation (NSF), a 40% cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a 24% cut to NASA.
“The American Way is to tackle hard, ‘unsolvable’ problems, which we do through the freedom of exploration. This is why the federal government has invested in scientific research for decades, allowing investigators the freedom to turn over every stone in the hunt for progress,” says Delawalla.
These cuts will destroy programs in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) prevention, next generation cancer treatment, addiction science, climate protection, sports injury prevention, and pandemic prevention. A 50% cut to scientific research funding in the US would cost the average American $10,000 annually by reducing our GDP by nearly 10 percent (https://impa.american.edu/costs-of-cutting-scientific-research/). But the public is not well informed about what is at stake.
“There’s a reason we have more Nobel prizes in medicine and science than the rest of the world combined. It’s because we fund science. Cutting the legs off the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health with a chainsaw is cutting off the legs of American innovation. Without those legs, America can’t run,” explains Delawalla.
Colette Delawalla (Founder and Executive Director) and others from the team are available to discuss the impact of these budget cuts on Americans, the role of science in democratic societies, what is at risk in the September Budget Vote, and the planned pro-science events across the nation.
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About Stand Up for Science: Stand Up for Science is a grassroots Washington, D.C. based 501(c)4 non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. We formed Stand Up for Science within days of executive orders breaking down federal science agencies. Weeks later, on March 7th, our first National Day of Action, we mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world in support of science. We received coverage from local, national, and international outlets, including Science, Nature, The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Scientific American, STAT News, and The Scientist. An opinion piece written by our founding leadership team is also available in Nature Human Behavior: “Why we organized ‘Stand Up for Science.’”
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