AAU joined the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and 47 other organizations in sending letters to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies requesting “increased federal support for scientific research with nonhuman primates (NHPs).” The letter emphasized that the scientific community is committed to using NHPs “only when necessary” and that “NHP research is vital for biomedical progress, public health, and scientific competitiveness.”
The letter noted that the scientific community is increasingly concerned about instability in the research environment caused by “growing supply shortages of NHPs,” “a diminishing workforce,” and “skyrocketing costs and prolonged wait times.” The letter offered three recommendations to the subcommittee to address these challenges, including allocating “dedicated infrastructure funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to expand domestic breeding centers;” providing “dedicated funding to support and expand the NHP research workforce;” and directing “federal agencies to work together to establish a national plan for NHP resources.”