Senator Alsobrooks Attends Town Hall Focused on RFK Jr.’s Dangerous Funding Cuts

September 22, 2025

BALTIMORE, MD - Saturday, September 20, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) attended a Town Hall alongside Comptroller Brooke Lierman, Baltimore City Councilwoman Phylicia Porter, NIH Fellows United/UAW Local 2750, UMD-GLU-Graduate Labor United, JHU-PRO-Postdocs and Researchers Organized, and TRU-UE-Teachers and Researchers United.

The panelists at the town hall discussed proposed research cuts and how those cuts will impact lifesaving research across the state.

"It is absolutely horrifying to see the dismantling of the public health system and the dismantling of research in our nation - and especially here in Maryland at the National Institutes of Health. The N.I.H. is the crown jewel of medical research across our entire globe. Now, RFK Jr. and the Trump Administration are slashing critical research funding and firing swaths of scientists and researchers. This drain of expertise and experience will have damaging impacts on the American people for decades," said Senator Angela Alsobrooks.

"In Maryland, we know that investing in science drives our society toward a healthier, safer, and more prosperous future, one where all residents can access care, cures, and health treatments that lengthen life and improve our communities," said Maryland Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. "The NIH is a key driver of that progress in Maryland, where it invested $5 billion in contracts in 2024, and across the country. Proposed cuts to this institution would mean fewer opportunities for our nation to access cutting-edge healthcare, result in a weakened economy, and lead to a decline in our status as a global leader of health research."

"Today was another reminder of the power we have in our labor and our communities. NIH funded research isn't only about discovery: it's about keeping our families, neighbors, state, and country healthy. Hearing from my fellow workers about how we're using union power to keep science moving and from our elected officials about how they're fighting on the political front to save Maryland biomedical research and jobs gives me hope," said Dr. Haley Chatelaine, Vice President, UAW 2750 and member of NIH Fellows United.

"I was so grateful to attend the NIH panel with Senator Alsobrooks and Comptroller Lierman to protect public health funding at the federal level to ensure that our residents within Baltimore are protected with quality health equity and care for healthier communities," said Councilwoman Phylicia Porter, Baltimore City Council, District 10.

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