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Rutgers Life Sciences Legislative Telethon

Script and info link

What’s happening?

NJ fast funding facts

• $358 million in NIH funding to NJ in 2024
• $253 million to Rutgers!
• $148 million in NSF funding to NJ in 2024
• Largest share of awards (64/250) at Rutgers NB

What may impact research at Rutgers

• NIH and NSF grant review and council meetings were cancelled for at several weeks in Jan. Unclear if all will be rescheduled. Some NIH councils (e.g. NIDA) cancelled into Feb.
• NIH external communication was paused until Feb 1, this pause has been extended
• As litigation proceeds, the uncertainty about funding may affect labs’ choices to retain and hire workers at all career stages.
• DEI is a particular target, and it seems unlikely that funds targeted toward DEI measures such as IRACDA, NIH diversity supplements, PREP and IMSD programs will continue to be funded. Unclear if awarded grants may be terminated early.

What do we want?

• For our legislators to act against the current administration’s attempts to withhold research and other funding that has already been allocated by congress
• To lift freezes on hiring, travel, and communication at the NIH

Why call your legislators?

• The US is a representative democracy! Your “representatives” are supposed to represent YOU!
• Calls are the most powerful way to put pressure on representatives.
• Emails must be manually sorted, but calls can overwhelm staff on an issue and are tallied right away
• Social media is ignored
• Politicians know callers tend to be more engaged on an issue
• Calls and voicemails on top current issues are tallied daily
• You can always follow up with an email!

Should I call my legislator if they

already do / do not agree with me?

• Short answer: YES!
• Long answer: Legislators care about re-election and need to demonstrate they are representing their constituents.
• If they already support the thing you want – they still need to show they have the support of their constituents.
• If they oppose the thing you want – they need to know they are not representing their constituents and consider how that may affect re-election.

What happens when you call?

• A staffer may pick up
• This is more likely if you have a direct line to a staffer, or for you House representative.
• Be polite, go through your script.
• Stick to one topic per call.
• You might get a voicemail. Sometimes with instructions.
• Follow the instructions to start with your name, and address/zip code
• Go through your script

What to say

• Introduce yourself: Hello, my name is _______, and I’m a [job title] at ________. May I speak with a legislative staffer for [committee if the elected is on one of the target committees or ask for the labor/higher ed staffer if elected is not on a target committee] in [REPRESENTATIVE’S] office?
• *If you are a constituent, provide your zip code.
• Explain your concern: I am calling regarding my extreme concern about the recent freezes to federal research funding, including NIH and NSF, and to NIH communications and operation. 
• Explain your research in one sentence in lay terms. Note if you are or have been paid by a federal grant!:
• Explain the impact: The research my colleagues and I conduct is critical to maintaining our leadership in health and science, but the current restrictions pose a serious threat to scientific progress and public health. It is essential that these restrictions are reversed so research projects on can continue uninterrupted. Not only is this a public health concern, but also an economic one. In the last year alone, NJ received more than $358 million in NIH funding not to mention funds from other agencies (insert NSF if you’re primarily NSF funded).
• Make the ask: The Trump Administration cannot be allowed to withhold research and other funds that have been allocated by Congress, this is illegal and must end. Will the [Congressperson or Senator] use their position on the [Committee] to lift the current freezes on federal grant funding and the freezes on hiring, travel and communications at the NIH and ensure there are no further disruptions?

But I can’t say all that! �Fine. Here’s a short version.

• Introduce yourself: Hello, my name is _______, and I’m a [job title] at ________. May I speak with a legislative staffer for [committee if the elected is on one of the target committees or ask for the labor/higher ed staffer if elected is not on a target committee] in [REPRESENTATIVE’S] office?
• *If you are a constituent, provide your zip code.
• Explain your concern: I am calling regarding my extreme concern about the recent freezes to federal research funding, including NIH and NSF, and to NIH communications and operation. These restrictions are hurting patients, important medical research, and our state’s economy.
• Explain your research in one sentence in lay terms. Note if you are or have been paid by a federal grant!:
• Make the ask: The Trump Administration cannot be allowed to withhold research and other funds that have been allocated by Congress, this is illegal and must end. Will the [Congressperson or Senator] use their position on the [Committee] to lift the current freezes on federal grant funding and the freezes on hiring, travel and communications at the NIH and ensure there are no further disruptions?

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Example

• Introduce yourself: Hello, my name is Annika Barber and I’m a molecular biology and biochemistry professor at Rutgers University. I’m also a constituent at zip code 08618. May I speak with a legislative staffer for [the house appropriations committee] in [Representative Watson Coleman’s] office?
• Explain your concern: I am calling regarding my extreme concern about the recent freezes to federal research funding, including NIH and NSF, and to NIH communications and operation. 
• Explain your research in one sentence in lay terms. Note if you are or have been paid by a federal grant!: My lab studies daily rhythms of physiology and behavior and how these molecular rhythms are altered by aging, diet, stress, sex differences and traumatic brain injury. I have been funded by the NIH throughout my own training and I currently hold two NIH grants that provide salary support to my lab members.
• Explain the impact: The research my colleagues and I conduct is critical to maintaining our leadership in health and science, but the current restrictions pose a serious threat to scientific progress and public health. It is essential that these restrictions are reversed so research projects on can continue uninterrupted. Not only is this a public health concern, but also an economic one. In the last year alone, NJ received more than $358 million in NIH funding not to mention funds from other agencies
• Make the ask: The Trump Administration cannot be allowed to withhold research and other funds that have been allocated by Congress, this is illegal and must end. Will [Congressperson Coleman] use their position on the [the house appropriations committee] to lift the current freezes on federal grant funding and the freezes on hiring, trael and communications at the NIH and ensure there are no further disruptions?

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Let’s practice – �Craft your one-sentence science pitch

• Explain your research in one sentence in lay terms. Note if you are or have been paid by a federal grant!
• Annika’s example: My lab studies daily rhythms of physiology and behavior and how these molecular rhythms are altered by aging, diet, stress, sex differences and traumatic brain injury. I have been funded by the NIH throughout my own training and I currently hold two NIH grants that provide salary support to my 5 lab members.
• Turn to your neighbor and try it out!

Let’s practice - �Fill in the blanks for yourself so you don’t panic

• Introduce yourself: Hello, my name is _______, and I’m a [job title] at ________. May I speak with a legislative staffer for [committee if the elected is on one of the target committees or ask for the labor/higher ed staffer if elected is not on a target committee] in [REPRESENTATIVE’S] office?
• *If you are a constituent, provide your zip code.
• Explain your concern: I am calling regarding my extreme concern about the recent freezes to federal research funding, including NIH and NSF, and to NIH communications and operation. These restrictions are hurting patients, important medical research, and our state’s economy.
• Explain your research in one sentence in lay terms. Note if you are or have been paid by a federal grant!:
• Make the ask: The Trump Administration cannot be allowed to withhold research and other funds that have been allocated by Congress, this is illegal and must end. Will the [Congressperson or Senator] use their position on the [Committee] to lift the current freezes on federal grant funding and the freezes on hiring, travel and communications at the NIH and ensure there are no further disruptions?

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Who to call

• Top priority:
• Senators
• In NJ Andy Kim and Cory Booker
• Your house representative (we’ll look yours up)
• Members of relevant committees from your state:
• House Energy/Commerce – Thomas Kean (NJ-7), Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-6), Rob Menendez (NJ-8)
• Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) – Andy Kim
• House Appropriations – Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)

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Find your rep

• https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
• Click through to contact info

Let’s call - Senators

• Andy Kim (on Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee)
• DC Office: (202) 224-4744
• Jersey City Office: (973) 645-3030

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• Cory Booker
• DC Office: (202) 224-3224
• Newark Office: (973) 639-8700

Script and info link

Let’s call – Your House Rep

1. Donald Norcross

Camden:  (856) 427-7000

• Jeff Van Drew

Northfield:  (609) 625-5008

• Herb Conaway

DC: (202) 225-4765

• Chris Smith

Tom’s River: (732) 504-0567

• Josh Gottheimer

Fairlawn: (201) 389-1100

• Frank Pallone*

New Brunswick: (732) 249-8892

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7. Thomas Kean*

Bernardsville: 908-547-3307 

• Rob Menendez*

Jersey City: (201) 309-0301

• Nellie Pou

Paterson: (973) 523-5152

• LaMonica McIver

Newark: (973) 645-3213

• Mikie Sherill

Livingston: (973) 526-5668

• Bonnie Watson Coleman*

Ewing: (609) 883-0026

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Script and info link

What next?

• Follow up with an email!
• Most often this involves a contact form on your legislator’s website,
• This may include some checkboxes about what issues you’re contacting them about, if “Federal grant freeze” is an option, choose that. Or choose education.
• You can adapt your call script as an email.
• Use your *personal* email address!
• Tell a friend!
• Let someone know you called a stranger and survived!
• Suggest your fellow science buddies, or maybe even your family make calls of their own and share how to do it.
• Let the Union know you called
• Call again! I like https://5calls.org which offers simple scripts on many important issues and will show you who to call for your ZIP code

Union call debrief link