UPDATE (3/14/25): This article from Roll Call details the negative effects that would result from cutting CDMRP funding 57 percent with the current Continuing Resolution (CR). There’s still time to contact your Senators this morning to ask them to vote no on the CR.
Thank you to everyone for your incredible and swift action contacting your members of Congress about the continuing resolution that includes cuts to FY25 funding for the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) from $1.509 billion to $650 million – a 57 percent cut from the FY24 enacted level. The House voted yesterday 217 – 213 to pass the bill. Full text of the bill can be found here on pages 29-30.
The Senate will now be voting on this continuing resolution on Thursday. The TSC Alliance is urgently reaching out to the TSC community to ask you to both call and email your Senators TODAY to protect funding for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), including the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP) at the Department of Defense. This is the largest source of federally funded research specifically for TSC.
We’ve provided language below to use when contacting your Senators to request them to vote NO on the FY25 Continuing Resolution that cuts CDMRP funding. Find contact information for your Senators here. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Smith at ksmith@tscalliance.org. Thank you for your help on this critical issue!
Dear Senator:
Oppose 57% Cut to Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs and Vote NO on the FY25 Continuing Resolution!
The continuing resolution legislation you are voting on cuts FY25 funding for the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) from $1.509 billion to $650 million – a 57 percent cut from the FY24 enacted level. This includes funding for the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Research Program (TSCRP).
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that can cause tumor growth in all the body’s vital organs. Symptoms can include seizures, kidney failure, brain and lung tumors, autism spectrum disorder, and severe learning disabilities. TSC occurs in approximately 1:6,000 live births, affecting an estimated 50,000 Americans.
Since fiscal year 2002, Congress has appropriated an aggregate of $121 million for the TSCRP. It is a peer-reviewed program that awards grants competitively to cutting-edge research proposals aimed at gaining a better understanding of this complex disorder. It has strong bipartisan support from Members of the House and the Senate and is the only source of federally funded research specific to TSC. Continued funding is essential to support a robust level of grant awards for basic, translational and clinical research to truly provide hope for improved quality of life for all those living with TSC.
This is not a “clean” continuing resolution. Cuts of this magnitude would significantly disrupt research into new therapeutics for diseases and disorders that impact the men and women in the Armed Services, as well as veterans, military families and the general public.
A vote for this legislation is a vote to cut federally funded medical research. Please vote NO and instead approve a full-year FY25 Defense Appropriations Act that fully funds CDMRP.