The Federal Budget that passed on Friday, March 14, 2025 cut 57% - approximately $850 million - out of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). This is a Department of Defense agency that funds biomedical research programs, including spinal cord injury. Those cuts included the complete elimination of the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP)…or about $40 million in 2025.
But U2FP spearheaded a unified collaboration with other organizations to fight back and demand SCIRP be restored...and we won!
After nearly a year of coordinated effort by U2FP and other organizations and individuals, SCIRP was restored to $33M via the Defense Appropriations Act on February 3, 2026. Yes, we didn't get the full $40M back - but even that amount was on the low end of what is needed. Now our fight continues to increase federal funding for Spinal Cord injury research.
This was a large part of the goal at our recent Roll on the Capital in Washington, D.C in February 2026. We scheduled over 50 meetings with legislators and had over 100 individuals from the SCI landscape participate. And guess what - we've got our foot in the door for increased appropriations to SCI research for the 2027 budget!
From left: Christina R. Baurichter, Jackson Vaughn, Dr. Maya Hatch and Mason Branstrator after meeting with staffers from Representative Pete Aguilar's office about increasing SCI research funding.
Spinal Cord Injury/Disease is already among the most under-funded, under researched conditions in existence. Yet is considered among the WORST conditions to live with by the WHO. This program (CDMRP SCIRP), run by the Department of Defense and responsible for medical research and development for the warfighter and US citizens, accounted for roughly 1/3 of the dollars that funded Spinal Cord Injury Research in the US.
Please contact your Congressional members today and ask them to increase funding to SCIRP!
Latest Updates
Read articles from U2FP and other outlets for the latest updates on SCIRP funding.
I’m writing with some pretty great news: the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) has just been restored to $33M in a Defense Appropriations Act that passed both the House and Senate and was ultimately...
Shortly after we successfully defended cuts to our Minnesota SCI Research bill, I wrote up a brief reflection and pitched it to a few media outlets here in Minnesota, trying to get some attention on the SCI community’s success at guiding research funding that works. One outlet, the Minnesota Reformer, accepted it and...
A little over a month ago, U2FP held our first annual gala and silent auction at The Bird’s Nest Cafe in Estes Park, Colorado. This gathering couldn’t have come at a more critical time, as research dollars are being zeroed out and labs that are working on functional recovery treatments are struggling to stay open. (See our recent article on the 40 million dollar Department of Defense Spinal Cord Injury Research Program ‘SCIRP’ cuts.)...
Bi-weekly Strategy Updates
Below is a public document that briefly summarizes key meetings with congressional leaders in our efforts to restore cuts made to the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP).
This is a live document that is updated regularly, with the most recent updates listed at the top.
Take More Action
Use these resources to educate yourself on the value of SCIRP. Then share them with your congressional members, friends, family and faith communities. We need every voice to speak up and speak out!
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Download our legislative fact sheet to share with your congressional representatives.
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Download our advocate fact sheet to use and share with your friends, family and co-workers.
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Share our latest Instagram post with your followers. Every new voice helps!
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Read SCIRP's Impact Report
When congress passed H.R. 1968, a Continuing Resolution funding bill, they decided that SCIRP was not worth the taxpayers dollar.
SCIRP was .005% of the Department of Defense budget. It was supporting ground-breaking research, moving science from the lab into the clinic. It was fast tracking research to help us breath on our own, mitigate unbearable nerve pain and regain independence. It was responsible for the development of field-deployable technologies to treat our soldiers after trauma.
This program was not partisan. It was practical. It was productive. And we do not have the luxury to sit idly by and loose what has been fought so hard for.
