As Congress works to set funding levels for the National Institutes of Health, several advocacy groups for Parkinson’s disease research and initiatives are calling on lawmakers to ensure robust funding of the federal agency as an “essential engine of medical progress and hope.”

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the American Parkinson Disease Association and the Parkinson’s Foundation have joined forces to call on lawmakers to protect and expand brain disease research. The groups said they have demonstrated the power of public-private partnerships to drive scientific progress and are asking lawmakers to join their “vital mission.”

Under the Trump administration, federal funding for medical research has dropped by approximately $1 billion this year.

Calling the NIH the “essential engine of medical progress and hope for millions of Americans,” the Parkinson’s advocacy groups said the agency is a “cornerstone” of the nation’s budget. Sustained federal investments, they said, has led to a new understanding of major brain diseases and positioned the field for rapid gains within the next decade.

“Decades of dedicated scientific investigation and bipartisan support for NIH have advanced the search for next-generation treatments and brought us to the brink of transformative breakthroughs in Parkinson’s care,” the groups wrote in a call to action. “Any reorganization of NIH must be guided by these new scientific insights — with input from patients and families — to deliver mutually beneficial outcomes.”

Collectively, 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease diagnoses, according to the MJFF. Eight percent of people with Parkinson’s live in assisted living communities, and 3% live in independent living or retirement communities, according to a report released earlier this year by the National Alliance for Caregiving in partnership with the MJFF and Arcadia University. An additional 9% live in nursing homes, according to the report, “Parkinson’s Disease Caregiving in the US.”