February 3rd, 2026 Update:

The U.S. House of Representatives passed it! Now, the bill heads to the President’s desk, where we expect him to sign it into law. This means the NIH is scheduled to receive $48.7 billion in funding (a 1% or $415 million increase over 2025). Therefore the 40% budget cut of NIH was rejected, and instead there will be a 1% increase in funding (as long as the President signs it).

January 30th, 2026 Update:

Another wonderful update, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that advances top priorities for the rare disease community, including strong medical research funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and across the federal government.

January 24th, 2026 Update: Great news, the House of Representatives passed legislation providing strong funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The next step is for the Senate to pass this legislation, the vote is scheduled for the week of January 26th. 

Urge your senators to pass this legislation, MDA made it easy to do so here. 

Our host Kira Dineen already reached out to her congressmen in Connecticut, Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, to support the vote scheduled to happen the week of January 26th, 2026. After you reach out to your senators, post it on social, and tag us (@DNATodayPodcast) and MDA (@mdaorg) so we can repost you! 

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What happens to rare disease families when federal research funding slows down, or gets cut? In this breaking news, bonus episode of DNA Today, we’re digging into what NIH funding cuts mean in real terms: delayed clinical trials, fewer research dollars for ultra-rare conditions, and a slower path from discovery to treatment. 

We’re joined by Paul Melmeyer, who serves as the Executive Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). In this role, Paul leads MDA’s policy and advocacy initiatives pertaining to public health, therapeutic development, access to care, and disabilities. Prior to joining MDA, Paul spent over six years with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). At NORD, Paul led the Federal policy operations in developing and advocating for the enactment and implementation of pro-rare disease patient policy. Paul also holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the George Washington University.

We unpack what’s happening in Washington DC in late January 2026, what it could mean for neuromuscular disease research, and more generally the rare disease community, and what we can do about it. 

What’s Actually Happening With NIH Funding

Why Rare Disease Research Is Especially at Risk

Neuromuscular Disease Research in 2026

Policy Realities & Misconceptions

Advocacy: What You Can Do Right Now

Click here to urge you senators to pass legislation this week to support the NIH (mda.org/supportNIH). The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration the week of January 26th, 2026.  

Usually we release new episodes on Friday, but since this was so timely we released it as a bonus episode. You can always count on us to deliver fresh content every Friday. 

While you wait, why not dive into our library of over 375 episodes? Binge them all on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our website, or wherever you love to listen, search “DNA Today.”

Prefer watching? We’ve got you covered! For the past four years, we’ve been recording episodes with video, including some filmed at the iconic NBC Universal Stamford Studios. Check them out on our YouTube channel! 

DNA Today is hosted and produced by Kira Dineen, MS, LCGC, CG(ASCP)CM . Our Social Media Lead Liv Davidson. And our logo Graphic Designer is Ashlyn Enokian, MS, CGC.

See what else we are up to on Instagram, X (Twitter), BluSky, Threads, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and our website, DNAToday.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to [email protected].