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Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation say one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders has disrupted medical research at the National Institutes of Health and are urging the administration to fully restore operations.
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and Rep. Jamie Raskin said they have “grave concerns” about an order that could “potentially disrupt lifesaving research” being carried out by NIH, which is based in Bethesda.
The Democratic lawmakers sent a letter Monday to the acting director of the Department of Health and Human Services, Dorothy Fink, seeking “quick corrective action.”
An executive order signed by the president temporarily freezes external communications related to federal health matters, until they are approved by a political appointee.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services, has two confirmation hearings this week, but no date has been set for a Senate floor vote.
The “immediate pause” in communications is to remain in effect through Feb. 1.
Maryland lawmakers said the freeze has disrupted NIH operations, the research grant process and created administrative chaos that jeopardizes the agency’s medical mission.
“NIH attracts our nation’s brightest scientists, physicians, health care providers and other experts but, with these crippling blows to its mission and without sufficient staff going forward, NIH will be unable to realize its vital mission,” the lawmakers said in their letter.
Close to 18,000 employees and others work at the NIH Bethesda campus.
In addition to the concerns outlined by lawmakers, CNN reported the communications freeze also affected the purchase of supplies for ongoing scientific studies.
Researchers said some of their work was in danger of running out of supplies, which could compromise their studies.
CNN reported Monday that a memo it obtained said NIH employees may continue working with some of their current vendors.
The Maryland lawmakers’ letter comes as a separate directive has ordered U.S. public health officials to immediately stop working with the World Health Organization.
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