Email to your member of Congress
Subject: Constituent request: Protect NIH peer review before December 11
Dear [Representative/Senator Last Name],
My name is [Name], and I live in [City, State, ZIP]. As a supporter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, I am writing to ask for your help protecting the independent, expert review process that guides National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding.
[Personal story, 2–3 sentences]
Treatments for blinding retinal diseases are the product of decades of work by the National Eye Institute, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, academic researchers, and industry. LUXTURNA, the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited retinal disease, came out of that partnership and has restored meaningful vision to children and adults who were losing their sight. Dozens of clinical trials underway today depend on the same partnership.
The White House was considering an executive order to create a new commission with the authority to approve or reject NIH grants. Whether or not that order moves forward, I strongly oppose any approach that would allow decisions made outside the scientific review process to override the judgment of expert reviewers. NIH funding decisions are made through rigorous, independent peer review by scientists who evaluate each proposal on its merit and its potential to help patients. A separate layer of approval with the power to reject expert-recommended grants could stall promising research, push young scientists out of the field, and slow progress toward treatments for blinding diseases and many other conditions.
I have the same concern about the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed rule on federal grants, which would require senior agency appointees to sign off on grants before they are awarded, make expert peer review advisory, and allow active grants to be canceled at any time. I am grateful that Congress acted on a bipartisan basis to block this rule in the current continuing resolution. That protection, however, expires December 11.
I respectfully ask you to:
- Oppose any executive order, rule, or other action that would allow grants recommended by NIH’s expert reviewers to be overridden outside the scientific review process.
- Ensure that FY2027 funding legislation passed by December 11 permanently blocks OMB’s proposed grant rule and protects NIH’s merit-based peer review.
- Continue the bipartisan tradition of strong support for NIH, the National Eye Institute, and the patients who depend on their research.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. I would appreciate hearing what steps you plan to take.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
[Email / Phone]
