Over 1,200 NIH Scientists Write to Director Over Funding Cuts by Trump Administration
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: Over 1,200 National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have written to the its director, Dr Jay Bhattacharya, over “policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe.”
The letter was also signed by over 8,000 other concerned scientists and academics including several Nobel laureates.
“We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritises political momentum over human safety and faithful stewardship of public resources,” it states.
Their statement – The Bethesda Declaration: A Call for NIH and HHS Leadership to Deliver on Promises for Academic Freedom and Scientific Excellence – urges Bhattacharya to “restore grants delayed or terminated for political reasons so that life-saving science can continue.”
The letter raises questions about reduction in NIH spending, cuts proposed in the president’s budget, termination of grants and censoring of critical research among other issues.
“Since January 20, 2025, NIH has terminated 2,100 research grants totaling around $9.5 billion and $2.6 billion in contracts,” the letter points out.
"To achieve political aims, NIH has targeted multiple universities with indiscriminate grant terminations, payment freezes for ongoing research, and blanket holds on awards regardless of the quality, progress, or impact of the science," it adds.
The letter cautions against discretionary termination of projects and the myopic view behind saving funds without taking into consideration the time, effort and resources that have already been invested in these projects.
"Ending a $5 million research study when it is 80% complete does not save $1 million, it wastes $4 million," the letter states, adding that this also undermines the contribution participants who offered "the incredible gift of biological samples" to fuel scientific discovery and research.
Furthermore, such terminations also put participants' health at risk due to sudden stop to medications or leaving participants with unmonitored device implants, the letter said.
“Combined, these actions have resulted in an unprecedented reduction in NIH spending that does not reflect efficiency but rather a dramatic reduction in life-saving research,” the letter notes.
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