Trump Under Fire From NIH Scientists: 'These Decisions Threaten Public Health'

Contents

Hundreds of employees of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have openly protested the policies of the Donald Trump administration. In a stinging letter to the institution's director, they accuse the authorities of destroying crucial research and endangering the health of citizens. They say political decisions lead to loss of funding, layoffs and a setback in the fight against diseases that affect millions of people.

On June 9, hundreds of employees of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sent an open letter to Director Jay Bhattacharya protesting Trump administration decisions they say are undermining the institution’s mission.

“For NIH staff, this is not politics – it is concern for human health everywhere,” they wrote.

The letter’s authors called the document the “Bethesda Declaration” — a reference to the controversial “Great Barrington Declaration” that Bhattacharya co-authored during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggested allowing healthy people to infect each other freely, leading to herd immunity. That idea was roundly criticized, including by then-NIH chief Francis Collins.

The letter is a response to mass layoffs and the cancellation of hundreds of research grants. This year alone, more than 1,200 employees have lost their jobs, including almost the entire communications department at the National Cancer Institute. Some projects — on Alzheimer's, vaccinations, and health inequalities, for example — have been halted without substantive justification.

- We are throwing years of work and millions of dollars into the trash. We are risking the health of research participants and undermining public trust - the signatories wrote.

Jenna Norton of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases at the NIH, who has worked there for a decade, said:

- It's not just about data. People donate their time believing they are helping others. Political decisions prevent us from keeping that promise.

Norton emphasizes that research involving minority groups that have long been underrepresented in medicine is particularly at risk.

- To say that research on the health of black Americans cannot take place is not only wrong - it is deeply unethical.

According to information obtained by KFF Health News, the person behind the decisions on layoffs and grant cuts is, among others, Rachel Riley – an advisor at the Department of Health, established by Trump as part of the “government efficiency” initiative. The recommendations were supposed to go to the NIH with ready-made lists of projects to be completed.

Collaboration with foreign institutions has also been frozen. This means a threat to research on cancer, infectious diseases and HIV – areas where international cooperation is key.

The protests don't end with the list. Former National Cancer Institute communications chief Peter Garrett founded Patient Action for Cancer Research. He wants patients to have a say in federal research funding.

- It's a form of partisan lobbying. Patients need to tell politicians how these decisions affect their lives.

Although government workers usually accept political changes in institutions after a change of president, this time, they say, the damage is too great.