Maybe we’re misunderstanding what Congress members mean when they justify their actions as “cutting wasteful spending” and “putting America first.”
Because we still are confused about what they did on March 18.
For background, we will tell you that through fiscal year 24, the Multiple Sclerosis Research Program (MSRP) received a total of $153.3 million in congressional appropriations and funded 208 awards.
These investments led to:
• 395 publications
• 102 follow-on grants
• Four patents
• An additional three patent applications
• 13 clinical trials
The MSRP funds high-impact research that addresses urgent gaps and can make a real difference for people living with MS.
This includes people like us and the nearly 1 million other Americans living with MS.
You know, Americans. The people the government is putting first.
So it was quite shocking when we received an email from the National MS Society last week stating that it learned the MSRP has been unfunded for fiscal year 25.
The National MS Society explained it was shared a directive from Congressional Appropriations Committees’ Defense Subcommittee Chairman, Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Ken Calvert, regarding Project Level Adjustments to the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program as a result of the Continuing Resolution passed on March 14 by Congress.
“Yesterday we were met with a setback—one that leaves veterans and service members facing a future without the answers they so desperately need,” commented Dr. Tim Coetzee, President and Chief Executive Office of the National MS Society.
“The discontinuation of funding for the MS Research Program is not just a financial cut, but a blow to the hope that could have paved the way for breakthroughs in care and treatment for those affected by multiple sclerosis,” he explained. “We owe those who serve more than just words; we owe action.”
And we have been taking action.
The National MS Society noted that, “MS Activists sent nearly 12,000 emails and phone calls to Capitol Hill in support of the MSRP last week from across the country. As MS Activists, we will continue to ensure our voices are heard and MS research funding is restored.”
So, yes, we will continue to make our voices heard as MS activists and push our elected officials to take action.
Show us they mean what they say when telling us they are putting America first.
Because 395 publications, 102 follow-on grants, four patents, an additional three patent applications, and 13 clinical trials that will benefit nearly 1 million Americans living with an incurable disease hardly seem like the results of wasteful government spending.