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- Since January, thousands of grants have been revoked or denied, with funding reallocated to projects aligned with administration ideologies.
- While NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya claims to support dissent, staff say attempts to raise concerns have been ignored or punished, fostering a culture of fear.
Key quote:
“We’re just becoming a weapon of the state. They’re using grants as a lever to punish institutions and academia, and to censor and stifle science.”
— Anonymous NIH official
Why this matters:
At the National Institutes of Health, the old ideal of "science above politics" is getting dragged through the mud — and the scientists are done keeping quiet. When science is manipulated to fit an agenda, it’s not just researchers who suffer. Patients, parents, and public health officials are left in the dark, without trustworthy data to make life-or-death decisions. And when America’s leading science agency is cracking under political pressure, the impacts touch everything from cancer research to climate science.
Read more:
- NIH workers warn of illegal orders and suppressed science
- Trump administration halts or delays 2,500 NIH grants, disrupting medical research across the U.S.
- RFK Jr. wants to cut off top medical journals from government scientists
- Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities
