Federal funding of research to address areas such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease delaying about $ 1 billion behind the levels of recent years, reflecting the chaotic start of Trump’s administration and dictates that it has been frozen, Meetings and communications.
The slowdown of the awards by the National Institutes of Health has occurred, and a legal challenge plays the sudden change in administration policy last week to reduce payments for administrative and medical research facilities. A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocking cuts, pending listening later this month.
Federal research funding has led to significant progress in cutting -edge gene therapies and the reinforcement of the immune system for certain cancers, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.
The wider funding lag is felt at universities and medical centers from Baton Rouge in Boston, according to Congress lawmakers who watch it. Federal expenditure records show that the distributions are about $ 1 billion lower than last year’s disbursements were currently.
NIH funding has stopped in the last 10 days, according to Senator Tammy Baldwin, a democratic of Wisconsin.
“The president has completely stopped funding for research discovering treatments for diseases that destroy families across the country, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, all so that they can give tax relief to billionaires and large companies,” Mr Baldwin in a statement on Friday. “Do not make any mistake, their efforts to rob Peter to pay Paul means crushing the hopes and dreams of families having therapies.”
It was not clear whether the delay in funding reflected an administrative delay or efforts by Trump officials to defy judges who have temporarily canceled efforts to freeze federal subsidy and expenditure.
In the first six weeks of 2024, NIH granted more than 11,000 grants of about $ 2.5 billion. During the same period this year, the Organization cut off about $ 1.4 billion, hundreds of millions of dollars lower than the amount granted within that period for the last six years. The organization issued about $ 36 billion in grants last year.
Some administration officials have criticized research grants, saying that they reflect a liberal bias and are dedicated to the efforts of diversity and share capital. Some critics also argue that some universities receive much higher costs to cover over general expenses than other institutions.
A NIH spokesman did not immediately return a request for comments.
Earlier this week, Senator Patty Murray, a Democratic of Washington, tried to add a provision to a budget bill that would have restored NIH’s funding to agreed levels. The effort failed to vote for a party.
“Trump and Elon – either through absolute ignorance or a real lack of care – put research into America life to support life,” he said in a statement, referring to billionaire Elon Musk.
NIH has undergone significant turmoil in recent days, with two high -ranking officials announcing sudden departures. The Agency does not yet have a permanent leader, although Jay Bhattacharya, Trump’s administration candidate and Stanford professor have begun to make the rounds in Congress as a approach to confirmation hearing.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the leading federal health organization, said he wants to leave infectious disease research, a NIH study area and focus on chronic diseases that the organization is also studying. The Agency has 27 separate institutes and centers that fund studies and develop treatments for diseases such as cancer and heart disease, as well as infectious diseases such as AIDS and Covid.
The meetings of the Agency – during which experts revise grant applications and funding of recommendations – were canceled abruptly in late January, after the new administration issued a ban on communications, effectively stopping funding new research. Some of these meetings have come back since then. THE The White House Budget Office also ordered a pause on all federal grants, which it excluded days later.
The proposed cuts in indirect costs only for medical research were enough to cause deep concerns to Dartmouth and other institutions.
“If the federal government reduces its investment, we should reduce research and cutting -edge science will be reduced,” said Dean Madden, Vice President of Dartmouth, at a press conference on Friday. “You do not know which discoveries will not be done, but they may include a treatment for childhood cancer or treatment for Alzheimer’s or dozens of other diseases affecting patients across our country.”
