ASE Joins Coalition Supporting Robust NIH Funding and Oversight of Federal Research Barriers

On June 16, ASE joined a broad coalition of patient advocacy groups and scientific and medical societies in a letter to congressional leadership warning that barriers, some imposed by OMB, are disrupting NIH-funded research and destabilizing the scientific workforce. The letter asks Congress to provide $51.3 billion for NIH in fiscal year 2027 and to ensure the money supports research chosen on scientific merit. It points to multi-year funding practices that have cut the number of grants and lowered funding rates, delays in releasing funding opportunities, a loss of transparency in how awards are decided, and staffing shortages that are slowing grant administration and oversight. The coalition also warns that OMB’s proposed rewrite of the federal grants guidance would make these problems worse.

This advocacy matters to echocardiography research and ASE’s interests. Unstable NIH funding, unpredictable timelines, and fewer grants threaten the cardiovascular imaging research pipeline and the trainee work that feeds JASE. ASE’s participation reflects its commitment to stable, transparent, and predictable federal funding for the research behind advances in cardiovascular care.