Senator Elizabeth Warren visited the South End yesterday, primarily to meet with leaders in the medical research field in Boston.
The neighborhood visit included Mayor Thomas Menino and leaders of area hospitals and research universities who spoke to the senator about the importance of national funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants, and what funding cuts would mean for medical research in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts.
“The research these scientists do is mind-blowing, and the idea that Congress could slash their funding next month is mind-boggling,” Mayor Menino said. “The doctors who have joined us here today have made it their life’s work to improve people’s lives. I hope in the coming days we can say the same about Congress.”
The across-the-board federal spending cuts scheduled to be implemented March 1 would eliminate $ 2.4 billion in NIH funding. This would have a significant impact on Massachusetts, which last year received 11.3% of NIH funding. Boston receives more NIH funding than any other city in the country.
“NIH funding plays a key role in supporting life-saving medical research at Boston’s world-class hospitals and universities,” said Senator Warren. “Across-the-board spending cuts are bad for Massachusetts and bad for the country. I will fight to stop these significant cuts to NIH funding, which would put critical research programs here in Boston and across the Commonwealth at risk and hurt our economy.”
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