On Monday, San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer was joined by top researchers, academic leaders, students, and patients in urging Congress to reconsider deep cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and increase federal investments in the region’s $57 billion life sciences sector.

At a press conference held at the County Administration Center, Lawson-Remer announced a new County resolution, set for formal consideration on June 3rd, calling on federal leaders to think twice about a proposed 40% reduction in NIH funding and avoid destabilizing changes that would jeopardize critical medical research. 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.

“These cuts could gut cancer research, cancel clinical trials, and push promising young scientists out of the field,” said Board Chair Lawson-Remer. “San Diego leads the nation in life sciences—we’ve spent decades building this infrastructure. We cannot afford to recklessly dismantle it.”

The resolution and public call to action come as federal budget proposals put core NIH programs—spanning cancer research, neuroscience, pediatric care, and rare diseases—on the chopping block.

Dr. Corinne Peek-Asa, Vice Chancellor for Research at UC San Diego, warned of significant risks: 

“Cuts to NIH funding disrupt clinical trials and biomedical discoveries, stall critical scientific breakthroughs, and undermine the future scientific workforce needed to address tomorrow’s most pressing challenges. This erosion puts America’s leadership in innovation at risk—and directly impacts the health, jobs, and future treatments that San Diegans count on. UC San Diego joins partners across the region in urging the federal government to protect these critical investments in scientific discovery.”

Dr. Roman Szkopiec, a retired physician and clinical trial participant, shared how an NIH-funded immunotherapy trial gave him seven extra years of life—and now helps thousands of patients around the world.

“None of this would have been possible without NIH funding,” said Szkopiec. “When we talk about cuts like this, we’re not just talking about numbers. We’re talking about people. I’m one of them.”

Dr. Kurt Marek, Chief Business Officer at Sanford Burnham Prebys and a former NIH program director, explained that institutions are already seeing ripple effects: paused hiring, suspended grant opportunities, and canceled research programs.

“The proposed cuts to NIH funding will have devastating consequences for San Diego’s economy—but more importantly, for the health of our region, the nation, and the world,” said Dr. Marek.  “The NIH has been incredibly successful for 80 years—eradicating diseases like polio, reducing millions of deaths from cancer, and powering U.S. innovation and leadership. These current and proposed cuts are arbitrary and capricious, but their impacts are real—for our health and our economy.”

UCSD Graduate Student Researcher Sarah Van Dijk spoke of the impacts to her research. 

“If we want a future where pregnancy is safer, where care is more equitable, and where science keeps moving forward—we need to invest in NIH, not dismantle it.”

The County’s resolution has already received grassroots support, with more than 830  San Diego residents signing a petition calling on the region to unite and speak with one voice to protect science, innovation, and medical progress.

“This fight is about protecting the medical breakthroughs our families depend on, the jobs our economy relies on, and the future that San Diego is helping to build,” said Lawson-Remer. “We cannot stay quiet while NIH funding is on the chopping block—not when the cost could be measured in lives, jobs, and years of research lost.”

San Diego is the third-largest recipient of NIH funding in the country, with institutions across the region—from UC San Diego to Sanford Burnham Prebys—leading breakthroughs in cancer, aging, mental health, pediatrics, and rare disease.

The resolution will be considered by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, June 3rd.

Read the full proposal by clicking HERE.