Stand Up for Science Demands Congress Stop Transfer of National Institutes of Health Research Funds to Department of War

New petition urges Congress to stop an interagency agreement that would allow health research money to fund War Department’s unspecified priorities.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, Stand Up for Science is calling on Congress to take action to stop an interagency agreement that would allow the transfer of research funding from the National Institutes of Health to the War Department. The petition urges Congress to “immediately submit and pass emergency legislation terminating this extralegal transfer of NIH funding to Hegseth’s Department of War.”

The statements were outlined in a public petition posted to Stand Up for Science’s website. The petition characterizes the agreement as an attempt to steal research budgets to fund the war in Iran.

“Siphoning millions, if not billions, of Congressionally-mandated civilian research dollars — funding for potentially life-saving health research — to instead bankroll unspecified research at the Department of War is a stunning new low, even for for this administration. This move is appalling on its own, but the implications of this agreement are incredibly concerning. With the agreement’s vague language, Jay Bhattacharya and Pete Hegseth are essentially asking us to ‘just trust them’ that they’ll continue to deliver the scientific innovations and life-saving therapies we expect from NIH research,” said Dr. Colette Delawalla, Founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science.

“Or possibly this is yet another route to defund and destroy the NIH altogether,” Delawalla added.

Stand Up for Science is inviting the public to sign the petition in support of preserving health research funding at the NIH.

The petition comes after last week’s announcement of the interagency agreement, which would allow for the transfer of an unspecified amount of funding from NIH’s infectious disease research institute to support Department of War initiatives over the next 10 years. According to the New York Times, the agreement could divert up to $2 billion to the Department of War. NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya says the research projects will drive discoveries to benefit both Americans’ health and the military.

Delawalla is available for comment.

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Stand Up for Science is a grassroots, Washington, D.C. based, non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. Stand Up for Science was formed in February 2025 in response to actions affecting federal science agencies and funding of the American scientific ecosystem. On March 7th, Stand Up for Science mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world on its first National Day of Action. Federal scientists across multiple agencies (NIH, EPA, NASA, FEMA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform to publish their open letters of concern. Stand Up for Science is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization [EIN: 33-4154429] and donations are not tax-deductible.

Char Bowling
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net