San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said Wednesday that she was "very excited" to have bipartisan support for a resolution opposing a proposed 40% budget cut at the National Institutes of Health.
On Tuesday, supervisors voted 4-0 in favor of Lawson-Remer's proposal, which she first announced May 19. In the resolution, the county "expresses concern regarding recent federal actions towards the National Institute of Health that negatively impact our biomedical sector and calls for increased federal funding for the National Institutes of Health, including funding state- of-the-art scientific infrastructure at sustainable levels, in order to advance San Diego's biomedical leadership and drive our regional innovation economy."
According to Lawson-Remer, the board's vice chair:
- NIH grant making has decreased by $2.3 billion compared to 2024;
- There have been nearly 800 canceled or frozen NIH-screened grants, including clinical trials at UC San Diego;
- UCSD has projected a $150 million loss due to changes to NIH reimbursement rule changes;
- a 15% cap on indirect reimbursement could cost the SD County region over $448 million per year; and
- the NIH has fired 1,200 people, including scientific reviewers, which could slow review cycles and delay research.
Along with UCSD, cuts could also affect institutions such as Scripps Research and the Salk Institute, Lawson-Remer's office said.
Lawson-Remer earlier said the proposed reduction in NIH funding "could result in over $500 million in lost economic activity and put more than 3,000 local jobs at risk across San Diego's globally recognized research and biotech ecosystem."
The cuts are part of an effort by President Donald Trump's administration to make the government more efficient, but local opponents say it will be disastrous for San Diego County's $57 billion life sciences sector.
In March, Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya took over the NIH as director following Senate confirmation. He said he was seeking to tackle chronic disease in his new role.
"Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the United States," he said. "Novel biomedical discoveries that enhance health and lengthen life are more vital than ever to our country's future.
"As NIH director, I will build on the agency's long and illustrious history of supporting breakthroughs in biology and medicine by fostering gold- standard research and innovation to address the chronic disease crisis," he added.
Between the end of February and early April, the federal government ended around 700 NIH grants worth $1.81 billion — about 3.3% of the federal agency's annual operating budget, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Before voting Tuesday, supervisors heard a presentation by Nikia Clarke, an official with the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. Clarke discussed possible cuts in the federal budget, which needs U.S. Senate approval before being signed into law.
Clarke said 2025 is a time of uncertainty regarding the Trump administration and federal funding, and "uncertainty is the new normal."
Threats to university research could affect science, technology, engineering and mathematics talent, Clarke said.
In about five to 10 years, "that innovation pipeline ... is probably the biggest long-term implication," she told the Board of Supervisors.
Lawson-Remer said her district includes innovation hubs in the Carmel Valley and Sorrento Valley neighborhoods.
"This is happening," she said. "It's hurting our economy, but it's also going to eventually cost lives."
Lawson-Remer noted how a doctor, Roman Szkopiec, "was diagnosed a rare, aggressive form of cancer" and given six months to live.
She added that Szkopiec decided to take part in a UCSD clinical trial and seven years later "he's doing well."
During public comment, a university graduate said America "is losing scientific talent because of this broad, systematic attack on science funding."
"These funding cuts are personally impacting all of my career goals and my career back-up plans," said the woman, who said she earned her bachelor's degree in environmental studies and biology.
She added that her peers are being encouraged to move to Canada or Europe for graduate work.
Supervisor Monica Montgomery-Steppe said she was happy to support the resolution.
"There is always room for improvement for looking at these (government) systems and the way they work," Montgomery Steppe said, but "the brain drain is really depressing to me. It's very real."
