The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is facing staffing and funding cuts that will impede research to better understand, diagnose, treat, and ultimately cure epilepsy. In late March 2025, as part of the Reduction in Force (RIF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), nearly 20% of staff at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) were cut in the recent downsizing of the federal workforce. Within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), several institutes fund epilepsy-related research — most notably the NINDS.

In addition to staff cuts, the Administration has proposed reducing funding for the NIH in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 by nearly $18 billion. This is after the NIH had already received cuts in FY 2024 and FY 2025. There are also proposals from the Administration to restructure the NIH and cap indirect costs on NIH grants at 15%. Indirect costs, also known as facilities and administrative costs, include expenses essential for medical research, such as laboratory equipment, utilities, and administrative support. Caps on these indirect costs will further restrict critical epilepsy research. 

Ask Congress to preserve critical epilepsy research by protecting funding for and the structure and staffing at the NIH! 

We strongly encourage you to share your own personal experience as a member of the epilepsy community. More personalized comments will have significantly more impact.  

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