Trump attacks science, research, and public health systems

In three major moves this week, the Trump administration is already having profound negative impacts on public health—to absolutely nobody's surprise, sadly. 

First, Trump has called for an immediate freeze on meetings, grant review panels, study sections, hiring, travel, and communications for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Science reports that these moves "have generated extensive confusion and uncertainty at the nation's largest research agency, which has become a target for Trump's political allies" and quotes one senior NIH employee who stated, "The impact of the collective executive orders and directives appears devastating. And StatNews explains that:

A flurry of scientific gatherings and panels across federal science agencies were canceled on Wednesday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about how the Trump administration will shift the agencies' policies and day-to-day affairs. 

Several meetings of National Institutes of Health study sections, which review applications for fellowships and grants, were canceled without being rescheduled, according to agency notices reviewed by STAT. A Feb. 20-21 meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, a panel that advises the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services on vaccine policy, was also canceled. So was a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria that was scheduled for Jan. 28 and 29. The scope of the cancellations was unclear.

Jane Liebshutz, MD, MPH, FACP, Division Chief of General Internal Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, posted on BlueSky that the cancellation of all NIH study sections "indefinitely" will "halt science and devastate research budgets in universities." Rebecca Cuellar, PhD, Interim Director of Research Advancement at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, responded by stating: 

My heart HURTS from this. I am in research administration for a major university, and this will be *catastrophic* – for jobs, science, and healthcare the world over. I contacted my senator as soon as I heard. 

Cuellar also followed up with more pertinent information:

Virtually every👏 American 👏medicinal 👏 and scientific👏 advancement👏 comes from NIH funds. Basic science, drug design, clinical trials…bench to bedside and beyond. I implore you: contact your congressional representatives and beg them to let NIH function again!!! Lives are *literally* on the line.

StatNews reports that it's unclear whether the NIH freeze is related to the second huge move the Trump administration announced this week that is negatively impacting public health: a freeze on all external communications from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) divisions until February 1. An NIH spokesperson told StatNews:

"HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health. . . This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization. There are exceptions for announcements that HHS divisions believe are mission critical, but they will be made on a case-by-case basis."

Roll Call reports that earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) directed agency leaders to immediately pause all external communications, which include press releases, guidance, regulations, notices, grant announcements, social media posts, website posts or updates, listserv communications, and speaking engagements, at least through February 1st. Roll Call continues:

The memo, which was sent to agency leaders by acting HHS Secretary Dorothy Fink, outlines that the HHS agencies should refrain from sending any documents for publication in the Federal Register until they can be "reviewed and approved" by a presidential appointee. The directive was sent to the heads of operating divisions and heads of staff divisions at HHS.

Al Jazeera notes that this freeze also includes "publications like the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other data releases," explaining that these materials can only be released if they are approved by a "Trump appointee," and explicating that "critics fear the pause may be used to stifle research and other public health information that may not align with the new administration's priorities."

The third blow to public health comes from Trump signing an executive order to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. Al Jazeera reports that Trump accused the group of "mishandling" the COVID-19 pandemic; they also report that critics are sounding the alarm that this move "will hamper the US's ability to prepare for the next pandemic and stymie cross-border collaborations."

Read more about the NIH freeze at Science and StatNews and more about the communications pause at Al Jazeera.

Previously:
Trump's beclowning of DOGE shows how little waste they'll cut
Letter to my black daughter under a Trump presidency
Donald Trump: the poor little rich boy