HRA Federal Policy Newsletter – September 2025

Welcome to HRA’s New Monthly Federal Policy Newsletter
HRA is excited to launch this monthly communication to keep you informed and connected with the latest developments impacting our community. Each edition will serve as a central hub where you’ll find policy updates that impact your work, details on upcoming HRA events and community opportunities related to the federal policy environment, curated resources, and insights from across our network. This newsletter will also be a space for members to share relevant content and resources that can benefit the broader HRA community.

This newsletter is produced in partnership with District Communications Group (DCG), who are supporting HRA across multiple areas including communications, logistics, membership outreach, resource management, and advocacy opportunities. You may receive communications from the DCG team (currently Amanda Bevis and Lily Richardson) as they assist with various HRA initiatives.

We Want to Hear from You
This newsletter should reflect what’s most valuable to our community. If you have suggestions for topics you’d like us to cover, resources to share, or news items that would benefit fellow members, please reach out to Christine Riordan at [email protected]. Your input will help us ensure each monthly edition provides maximum value.

Thank you for your continued engagement with HRA. We look forward to keeping you informed and connected through this new monthly newsletter.

Executive Summary

• NIH Funding Concerns: Major news outlets continue to cover significant concerns about potential NIH funding cuts in 2026, with particular focus on how these cuts may be pushing young scientists to leave the country. However, a U.S. House of Representatives spending committee released a bill on September 2nd that would keep 2026 NIH funding levels equivalent to 2025 levels but significantly cut funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The U.S. House Appropriations Committee will vote on a similar bill this week. Learn more here.
• Research Politicization Debate: A widely syndicated commentary piece titled “Politicizing scientific research comes with a hefty price” appeared in over 20 major US newspapers last week, highlighting growing concerns about political interference in scientific research processes.
• Impact on Students and Biomedical Workforce: The Association of American Medical Colleges recently outlined challenges to PhD programs in biomedical science in an article titled, “How uncertainty around cuts to scientific research is impacting the future biomedical research workforce”

Policy & Regulatory Updates

This section will keep you up to date on critical compliance information, new federal policies, executive orders, and regulatory changes that matter to HRA members. When important developments arise, we’ll share what you need to know along with any actions or considerations that may help your organization stay informed and prepared.

• Executive Order on “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking” shifts the power to award and manage research funding from career scientists and peer reviewers to political appointees, who must now align grant decisions with the President’s policy priorities and may block or terminate grants at will. This represents a fundamental change in the U.S. biomedical funding landscape, raising serious concerns about the erosion of scientific independence and the politicization of research funding according to AP News and Global Biodefense. For a deeper dive into the potential impacts on biomedical science funding, see this article.

Upcoming HRA Federal Policy Events

Stay connected through HRA’s upcoming Federal policy focused programs and gatherings. These events are designed to spark collaboration, share knowledge, and strengthen our community. Please note registration for most HRA-hosted events is open exclusively to members.

• [Virtual] Tuesday, September 16: 2025 CEO Federal Policy Roundtable
• [Virtual] October (TBD): Federal Policy Series #6: Protect Democracy – An Overview of the Federal Budgeting Process
• [In-person and virtual] Wednesday, November 19 – Thursday, November 20: Fall 2025 HRA Members Meeting at American Society of Clinical Oncology in Alexandria, VA. Register by October 17. Sessions related to Federal policy include:
  • Navigating Shifts: Impact of Federal Policy Changes on the Biomedical Workforce, November 19th 1-2 pm
  • Why Are We Here and What Impact Can We Have? A Reflection of and Vision for Biomedical Research Funding and Philanthropic and Non-Profit Involvement, November 20th 9-10 am
  • What’s the Story? Making Science Funding Meaningful to the Public, November 20th 10:30-11:20 am
  • Professional Development Workshop: Storytelling for Impact, November 30th 12:30-2 pm

Other Events of Interest

• [Alliance For Justice Webinar] September 16: Building Nonpartisan Partnerships with 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s, Unions, and Political Organizations
• [Rally for Medical Research] September 18: Rally for Medical Research on the Hill Day
• [Alliance For Justice Webinar] September 25: How Your 501(c)(3) Can Influence Policy for the Greater Good

Resources & Tools

• [Article] Legal Defense Funds Protect Nonprofits Under Political Attack by Trump Administration
• [Resource Library] Bolder Advocacy Resource Library
• [EO Tracking] Democracy 2025 Featured Policies & Analysis
• [Free Courses] Design Legally Sound Strategies presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• [Article] Protecting the Johnson Amendment and Nonprofit Nonpartisanship

Partner Spotlight

Each edition of the Federal Policy newsletter will highlight one of our member organizations or collaborative partners, showcasing their unique contributions, innovative initiatives, and the impact they’re making in the current health research environment.

• This September, we’re spotlighting our partner, the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR). COGR was founded in 1948 with the purpose of uniting U.S. researchers to advocate for sensible federal research policy in the states. Nearly 90 years later, COGR continues to make strides in federal policy for the benefit of research universities, affiliated medical centers, and independent research institutions.
• In 2025, COGR has continued to monitor activities in D.C., especially the many executive orders from the Trump administration, and the impact on the research community.
• COGR also provides detailed presentations on up-to-date policy issues, offering insights on everything from Administrative Burden and DE&I, to Research Compliance and Science & Security, and much more.
• To learn more about the impact of COGR or access their federal agency resources, click the links below:
  • COGR Communications & Resources
  • Executive Orders & Related Resources
  • Department/Agency Directives & Memoranda
  • Litigation Tracker
  • Institutional Communications on Federal Funding Updates

About HRA
Health Research Alliance (HRA) brings together 115+ nonprofit, nongovernmental funders of biomedical and health research, united by the mission to maximize the impact of research to improve human health. HRA members are a part of a collaborative and diverse community, with access to exclusive activities, events, peer communities, and resources designed to support your work.

Do you know an organization that could benefit from joining HRA? Share this email and encourage them to learn more about HRA membership benefits here.

We’re Here to Help
Have questions or need assistance? Christine Riordan is your primary point of contact for:

• Federal Policy Newsletter feedback and content suggestions
• Membership inquiries and support
• Event registration assistance
• General HRA questions and resources

Contact: [email protected]

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/health-research-alliance/

We’re committed to supporting our members and value your input on how we can continue to improve our services and communications.