Medical research in the US faces collapse due to NIH budget freeze

Frozen studies and clinical trials of innovative treatments are facing a halt. Research review committees have been silenced, communication with scientists and the public is muted * The scientific community demands explanations

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) headquarters in Maryland with classical architecture and a symbol of American public health.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) headquarters in Maryland with classical architecture and a symbol of American public health. Illustration: depositphotos.com

The new Trump administration's decisions are shaking up the scientific research community in the US. Since President Trump took office for a second time, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been facing a broad freeze that includes meeting cancellations, travel bans, a halt to hiring, and a suspension of external communications, resulting in significant disruptions to medical research in the country.

This is not the first step taken by an administration whose Health Secretary, Robert Kennedy, is a coronavirus denier. About a week ago, the US withdrew from the World Health Organization.


The media freeze, which went into effect on Jan. 21 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), prohibits NIH from issuing new regulations, issuing press releases, posting on social media, or even participating in public conferences. Researchers warn that suspending grant review panels could lead to long delays in research funding, potentially affecting thousands of scientists, especially young researchers who depend on these grants for their academic advancement.

Cancellation of conferences and research trips and cancellation of diversity and inclusion programs


Additionally, NIH employees are prohibited from traveling to scientific conferences and presenting their work, except in exceptional cases approved in advance. The cancellation of these trips primarily affects early-career scientists, who need these opportunities to network and present their research.


One controversial move was the removal of information about programs to promote scientific diversity from the NIH website. Programs such as “Diversity Supplements,” which offered financial support of up to $125,000 to early-career scientists, disappeared from the institute’s website. The move is likely related to a presidential order that eliminated all federal programs related to promoting diversity and inclusion.

Scientific community responses

The scientific research community in the United States is reacting with shock and fear to the sweeping freeze imposed by the new Trump administration on the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The travel ban, cancellation of grant review meetings, suspension of external communications, and cessation of recruitment – ​​all of which have directly disrupted vital research processes and led to deep uncertainty among scientists and researchers across the country.

Dr. Carol Lavon of Northwestern University, who has been researching developmental biology and has been funded by the NIH for over 20 years, expressed deep concern: “I have never seen a situation like this. The inability to approve new grants or hold scientific meetings will lead to scientists being forced to stop critical research, and such delays will harm future medical discoveries.”

The hardest hit are early-stage researchers, such as postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, who depend on research grants to continue their work.

Dr. Jane Liebschutz, an opioid addiction researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote on the social media platform Bluesky: “Every small delay dramatically impacts the receipt of new grants, and for us it means people will lose their jobs or be forced to seek alternative funding. This freeze creates enormous financial and research insecurity.”

The main concern is that extending the moratorium will cause young researchers to abandon the field of scientific research and move to the private sector, where there is greater economic stability.

"What will happen to all the projects that have already been approved?"?"

NIH provides billions of dollars in research funding across the US, but with the suspension of advisory board meetings, new grants cannot be officially approved. Professor Harold Varmus, former NIH director and now a cancer researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine, emphasized the severity of the problem: "Congress allocates a budget to NIH that is intended to fund research, and if the money is not implemented, it is a violation of their public mandate. This delay will lead to direct harm to public health and the advancement of medical research."

Scientific censorship? Ban on communication harms knowledge sharing

One of the biggest concerns is the impact on scientific knowledge sharing. The new directive prohibits the NIH from publishing new research, sending out press releases, or holding public conferences. This means that critical public health information is not reaching medical professionals and the general public.

Dr. Esther Cho, a physician and emergency medicine researcher at the University of Oregon, wrote in Bluesky:
"Every day I am exposed to groundbreaking research that could change lives. But right now, our ability to communicate these findings is limited. Who will benefit from this?"

Furthermore, one of the most worrying steps was the removal of content pages and programs on scientific diversity and equity from the NIH website, as part of a presidential order that eliminated all government diversity and inclusion programs. Professor William Clark of the University of California, Berkeley expressed frustration: "Diversity and inclusion programs in science were essential to promoting equal opportunities, especially for women and minorities in science. The decision to delete them from the website is a dangerous move that sets us back decades."

What next?

Given the chaos that has ensued, many are hoping that the federal health department will issue clear guidance soon. The NIH is reportedly awaiting further guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the continued implementation of the restrictions.

Meanwhile, voices within the scientific community are warning that if the freeze is not lifted soon, the damage to medical research will be severe and long-term – and the US may lose its position as a leading power in the field of science and innovation.

More of the topic in Hayadan: (Beresheet is the Hebrew name for the book of Genesis)


Leave a Reply

Email will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to filter spam comments. More details about how the information from your response will be processed.