Confusion and anxiety swept through the U.S. scientific community as the Trump administration froze National Institutes of Health (NIH) operations, halting grant reviews, travel, and training.
Researchers are particularly alarmed by the removal of diversity programs from NIH’s website, including initiatives like UNITE and diversity supplements offering mentorship and funding.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Carole LaBonne, a developmental biologist, warning the freeze will devastate early-career researchers reliant on grant decisions. Grant-review panels, essential for allocating $47 billion in funding, were canceled, creating a ripple effect across the biomedical field.
NIH spokespersons claim the pause allows the administration to recalibrate priorities. However, former NIH Director Harold Varmus argues the extent of these measures contradicts the agency’s mission and Congress’s intent to fund vital research.
Adding to the disruption, the CDC missed publishing its disease research digest for the first time in 60 years, delaying critical H5N1 outbreak updates.
The Trump administration also erased NIH resources addressing structural racism and diversity. This follows an executive order targeting diversity programs across federal agencies, with critics like LaBonne decrying the move as erasing years of modest progress toward inclusion.
“There are real people, real lives waiting on the science,” said Esther Choo, a physician and grant reviewer. With funding stalled, researchers face layoffs, jeopardized careers, and setbacks for groundbreaking health research.
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