NIH scientists publish declaration criticizing Trump’s deep cuts in public health research
- On Monday, more than 300 NIH employees sent a four-page letter called the Bethesda Declaration to director Jay Bhattacharya in Maryland.
- The letter condemned abrupt Trump administration policies, including a proposed 40 percent cut to the NIH's $48 billion budget and grant terminations.
- The declaration detailed the halt of 2,100 grants worth over $12 billion, mid-study stoppages risking participant safety and wasted public resources.
- World Health Organization Director Tedros called the proposal "unethical," while NIH program officer Jenna Norton said speaking up is risky but silence risks more harm.
- The dissent signals deep NIH concern that political priorities now threaten scientific integrity, the agency’s mission, and public health worldwide.
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207 Articles
NIH staff revolt over deep cuts and political interference in research
A historic internal letter signed by over 300 National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists is challenging their director and the Trump administration over sweeping cuts, politicized grant terminations, and a perceived assault on science.Katherine J. Wu reports for The Atlantic.In short:NIH staff from across all 27 institutes signed the “Bethesda Declaration,” pushing back against policies they say have derailed the agency’s mission.Since Janua…
Hundreds of NIH Employees “Dissent” to Challenge Agency Firings, Termination of Grants and Contracts
Some 340 employees at the National Institutes of Health penned a scathing letter to agency Director Jay Bhattacharya, objecting to the termination of over 2,000 research grants and the cancellation of over $12 billion in grants and contracts. The letter, entitled the “Bethesda Declaration,” reads, “We dissent to administration policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the …
NIH employees publish ‘The Bethesda Declaration’ in dissent of trump’s policies on health research
On Monday, June 9, scores of NIH scientists sent a letter titled The Bethesda Declaration to the new NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. It begins with the words — For staff across the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we dissent to Administration...


NIH scientists publish declaration criticizing cuts
WASHINGTON — In his confirmation hearings to lead the National Institutes of Health, Jay Bhattacharya pledged his openness to views that might conflict with his own. "Dissent," he said, "is the very essence of science."
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