Stop Hegseth from Gutting Medical Research

Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is reportedly trying to raid billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health — money Congress provided for lifesaving medical research.

Without notifying Congress or the public, the Department of Defense signed an interagency agreement that could give the Pentagon access to funds meant for critical biomedical research, including work on infectious diseases like HIV, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, Ebola, and other dangerous pathogens.

NIH funding is supposed to help scientists develop cures, treatments, and protections that save lives. It should not be treated as a slush fund for Hegseth’s Pentagon or diverted away from patients, families, and researchers.

Tell Congress: "Stop the Pentagon from raiding NIH. Terminate any agreement that diverts medical research funding to the Department of Defense and demand a full public accounting."

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the country’s most important defenses against deadly disease. Weakening its budget could delay research, disrupt labs, and threaten progress toward treatments people are counting on.

Congress already funds Defense Department programs for military-related medical countermeasures. The Pentagon does not need to siphon money away from civilian medical research — especially not through a backroom agreement that lawmakers only learned about after demanding answers.

Add your name to the petition: Demand Congress protect NIH funding from Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon before lifesaving research is put at risk.

The petition to Congress reads: "Terminate any agreement that allows the Department of Defense to divert National Institutes of Health funding. Protect lifesaving medical research, block any transfer of NIH funds to the Pentagon, and require a full public accounting of how this agreement was developed."