Richard Burr - Senior Senator for North Carolina, 2005-2022

Senator Burr earns our A grade for his longstanding and strong support of neuroscience research and federal research funding. He spearheads a bipartisan Dear Colleague letter every term urging the Senate to increase the NIH budget, signed the BRAIN initiative Dear Colleague letter, and has been a member of the NIH caucus throughout his time in the Senate. He has strongly advocated for NIH and NSF funding on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Special Committee on Aging, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s as he has previously introduced legislation to increase Alzheimer’s funding. He could boost his grade to an A+ by signing on to more pro-science legislation this term.

“The research supported by the NIH is key to encouraging new discoveries, advances, and cures for devastating diseases and conditions like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and ALS.”

Co-sponsored: S.2032 - Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act

Co-sponsored: S.427 - Autism CARES Act of 2019

Thom Tillis - Junior Senator for North Carolina, 2015-2020

Senator Tillis earns a B rating for mild support of federal biomedical funding. While he joined his North Carolina colleague Senator Burr in signing the NIH funding Dear Colleague letter, he did not join him in the BRAIN initiative Dear Colleague letter, and he is not a member of the NIH caucus. By signing on to the S.J.Res.3 - A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to balancing the budget, we are concerned that NIH funding may fall by the wayside. He could improve his grade by expanding his focus on veteran’s issues to increase funding for PTSD and prosthetic limb research. 

“There’s no replacement for going out and seeing how investments and research, investments in cures and treatments are actually impacting peoples’ lives. It makes me a better congressman, somebody that can go up there and advocate for increased NIH funding, the kinds of things we need to do to accelerate the pace of finding cures and treatments”
Co-sponsored: S.2032 - Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act

Co-sponsored: S.427 - Autism CARES Act of 2019