My name is Philippa Steinberg, and I’m an ASE Steward in Molecular and Cell Biology. Over the last week, the Trump Administration rolled out an unprecedented set of restrictions on federal funding that are impacting members like me across the UW, starting with funding freezes on the NIH, followed by a pause on all federal grants. While the situation is still unfolding, one thing is clear – this is part of the Trump Administration’s broader agenda to attack higher ed and our work as academic workers.
This Thursday (1/30) at 12 PM, academic workers across the country are organizing a Call to Action phonebank to demand our congressional representatives take action to lift these restrictions and allow scientific research in the United States to continue without interruption. Can you make it?
These restrictions are impacting my work on developing effective flu vaccines by researching which variant of flu will be most infectious the next flu season. Many of us in my lab are uncertain about the future of our research, as we rely on NIH funding to work on SARS-CoV-2 and flu evolution (including for avian flu that is on the rise across the US). With the recent attacks from the Trump Administration on funding and limiting international collaborations, the future of crucial public health research is now at stake.
We’ve successfully fought back against similar attacks before by coming together through our union and organizing to build a powerful higher ed labor movement. That’s why I’ll be joining academic workers across the country this Thursday to ensure we can continue our work on critical issues – from public health to misinformation and everything in between. See you on Thursday at the phonebank, and if you want to get involved in organizing around this issue, reply to this email and a fellow worker will follow up with you.
In solidarity,
Phillipa Steinberg
ASE Steward, Molecular and Cell Biology