Congress has pushed decisions on FY26 funding out with a new Continuing Resolution that requires agreements on outstanding appropriations by January 30, 2026. Congress is making critical decisions about FY26 funding, and vision research is still at risk until we get full year funding over the finish line.
We need your voice now to protect the National Eye Institute (NEI) and stop the consolidation efforts within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to ensure groundbreaking research that prevents blindness and restores sight can continue.
The President's FY26 budget revived a harmful recommendation to merge the NEI into a generalized Neuroscience and Brain Research Institute. This would reverse over 55 years of scientific progress and Congressional intent. The NEI was created precisely because vision science was not receiving the focus or resources it required in the 1960's under its previous umbrella institute, the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness.
While the House and Senate have thus far rejected consolidation and the deep cuts proposed by the administration, they still need to hear from you as decisions are being finalized. While the House and Senate bills also are relatively similar regarding their impact to NEI (both maintain the NEI as an independent institute and maintain level funding), key decisions like indirect rates andthe NIH policy shift on forward funding grants are yet to be decided.
Today, the need to maintain vision research as a national priority remains not only valid but more urgent. The eye is not merely a window into the brain; it is a biologically and clinically distinct organ system. Conditions such as dry eye disease, corneal dystrophies, uveitis, and ocular surface disorders have no direct connection to the nervous system and would likely lose visibility and funding under a broader Neuroscience and Brain Research Institute structure as proposed. Likewise, with neuroscience and brain research being the focus of such a consolidated institute, research addressing vision conditions related to the retina and macula would also see less focus.
Merging NEI into a broader institute would dilute funding, dismantle specialized infrastructure, and disrupt successful translational pipelines.
Take 2 minutes to contact your members of Congress and urge them to:
- Preserve NEI as a dedicated institute within NIH
- Provide $51B for NIH and $1B for NEI in FY26
Your voice can help protect the future of sight. Take action today!