LISTEN: An employee says cuts to National Cancer Institute research funding and a perceived lack of transparency at the agency are threatening the well-being of cancer patients. A spokesperson for the agency says that’s “misleading” — it’s working to make sure money is well spent. (Audio from WAMU 88.5, American University Radio)
The National Cancer Institute, long credited with driving down U.S. cancer death rates, is facing massive upheaval as the Trump administration imposes deep funding cuts. Grants have been abruptly terminated, key employees laid off, and essential patient resources left unmaintained.
Hundreds of current and former NIH employees have protested through the Bethesda Declaration, warning that these cuts could stall decades of progress in cancer research.
KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on July 23 to explain what current and former employees of the agency have to say.
We’d like to speak with current and former personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies who believe the public should understand the impact of what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message KFF Health News on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
This story is yet another example of the Trump administration’s attack on science. The Republican party has been quite successful in their mission to keep voters “dumb and poor.” I outlined the plan in The Keep Them Stupid Agenda.
Project 2025 authors at the Heritage Foundation and Donald Trump know that in order to be a dictator, a leader has to be the sole arbiter of truth. Hence, the constant attacks on the media and universities.
Trump was already successful with the MAGA base. They’ll only believe it if he says it. The stolen 2020 election is a perfect example of that phenomenon.
Granted, he wouldnt have been as successful at capturing the base without the assistance of a conservative media ecosystem that pretends to be a “news source” while spreading propaganda on behalf of Trump and the Republican Party.
They not only repeat Trump’s lies, they also ignore any news that’s critical of him, no matter how big the story is outside of their “bubble.”
Some people may not realize just how damaging the administration’s attack on science is. The U.S. used to attract the brightest scientists responsible for innovations in areas like medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Now scientists are leaving and traveling to other countries, some of which are taking advantage of our bad situation by making offers to attract the talent our country is willingly giving away. One of the scientists fleeing the country could end up discovering a cure for cancer. How will Trump feel knowing he’s responsible for losing the ability for us to say “The U.S. was the first country to discover a cure?”
This article was first published on KFF Health News.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism
