More than 60 current and former National Institutes of Health (NIH) employees have signed a public letter condemning the Trump administration’s health policies, alleging unlawful directives and political interference in medical research.
Benjamin Mueller reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- The letter, dubbed the “Bethesda Declaration,” accuses NIH leadership under Director Jay Bhattacharya of enabling harmful policies, including censorship of research and the illegal withholding of funds.
- Signatories said over 1,300 research grants were abruptly ended and more than 1,000 additional projects delayed, allegedly based on ideology rather than scientific merit.
- The letter warns that midstream cuts to clinical trials risk harming study participants and that U.S. researchers are being isolated from international collaborators.
Key quote:
“What we’re being asked to do at the N.I.H., as N.I.H. employees, is very clearly unethical and most likely illegal.”
— Jenna Norton, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Why this matters:
The National Institutes of Health is the country’s largest public funder of medical research, distributing billions of taxpayer dollars to advance objective science that protects human health. If political agendas override scientific integrity, critical studies on climate-related health risks, pandemics, or chronic diseases may be delayed or erased altogether. Cutting clinical trials midstream risks patient safety, and censoring research about things like sexual health or health disparities could worsen outcomes for already vulnerable populations. When evidence-based medicine is replaced by ideology, the health of millions risks being compromised.
Related: Trump administration halts or delays 2,500 NIH grants, disrupting medical research across the U.S.
