Dr. Eddy Bresnitz
The blows against science keep coming, and I am not referring to the steady barrage of scientific misinformation. Science as we know it in the United States is being attacked from all sides by an administration and its allies who believe that indiscriminate and retributive budget cuts will make us a stronger nation. There is no evidence to support this contention. On the contrary.
Today, in the name of cutting “waste, fraud, and abuse,” many federal agencies are facing drastic cuts that threaten to weaken American scientific and innovative leadership. Recent cuts target grants supporting research on vaccines and anti-viral therapeutic agents for novel pathogens that could be the cause of future pandemics. The Trump administration has also threatened cuts to universities in response to policies it opposes. In other instances, study grants have been terminated because they “no longer effectuate agency priorities.” Of course, every agency that makes grants has the right to do this, but what sense does it make to do this before the study is complete? The money spent up to that point is largely wasted.
The cuts at the federal level impact the scientific community in academia and the private sector as well. This is certainly true for the tristate area of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
Federal research’s benefits are so pervasive that they are often taken for granted. Agencies like the National Institutes of Health have driven major advancements. Consider the NIH’s profound impact on modern medicine: new cancer treatments (such as checkpoint inhibitors), DNA technologies (producing insulin for diabetes), monoclonal antibodies (to treat diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis), advancements transforming HIV/AIDS from a fatal to a chronic disease, and MRI imaging diagnostics. NIH-funded research, collaborating with academia and industry, made these possible.
The NIH alone invested more than $405 million in 53 New Jersey-based projects in 2024, according to its grants database.
Investment in NIH is also economically sound. Over the past 15 years, federal research contributed to over 90% of new U.S.-licensed medicines. NIH funding contributed to basic or applied research for 386 of 387 (99.7%) products approved by the Food and Drug Administration between 2010 and 2019. A 2025 United for Medical Research report showed that every NIH dollar generated $2.46 in economic activity. It is easy to think that funding benefits only scientists, professors and corporate executives, but that is far from true. Consider the lab equipment manufacturers, office staff, cafeteria workers, and delivery drivers who keep the research going.
What will scientists do?
The United States has long been the global leader in scientific research. Since the first Nobel Prizes were awarded over 120 years ago, 420 Americans, about 70% of prize recipients, have received the award, many of whom were brilliant immigrants drawn by the nation’s unparalleled research opportunities. With the cuts to scientific research, 75% of scientists in a national poll said they are considering leaving the U.S. for countries friendlier to the research enterprise.
Federal research extends beyond medicine, shaping various aspects of daily life. The U.S. Department of Agriculture boosts food security with precision agriculture and seed development. The Department of Defense, National Science Foundation and NASA have advanced television technology and computer-generated imagery in movies. Transportation safety has improved through innovations like crumple zones and safer highways. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration delivers accurate storm forecasts, protecting lives and property. These are just a few ways federal research has enriched American lives for generations — and should continue to do so.
‘Reckless and misguided’
Yet, many Americans are unaware of how federal research dollars are spent. Calls to “cut government waste” are vague and readily play to popular mood, leading to broad agency cuts without adequate justification and without a general understanding of their consequences for the future security of our country. The latest cuts of COVID-19-era funding to states, including New Jersey, underscore the lack of imagination of the importance of applying scientific advances to protect the public’s health. In addition, the recent cuts to thousands of personnel and entire programs at the CDC will affect scientists and researchers who rely on data that will no longer be collected, not to mention the impact on the delivery of services at the state and local levels.
Public awareness is crucial. Personalized examples can make the stakes real. Imagine parents learning that funding for research into a rare disease affecting their newborn has been cut. Picture families who suspect their home’s drinking water is polluted but without an agency to investigate. Consider farmers who lose critical weather data due to NOAA budget reductions, or their impact on public safety. Imagine the next novel virus that rips through a defenseless population without a vaccine or therapy in the pipeline. These scenarios highlight the tangible impact of research cuts and underscore the need for advocacy.
Since World War II, federally supported research has strengthened public welfare and the national economy through a successful partnership of the three-legged stool of academia, government and the private sector, one that is the envy of the world.
Responsible government spending is essential, but dismantling one of the pillars of American scientific productivity and national security is reckless and misguided. Chainsaw cuts to scientific investigation threaten medical advances, national security, food safety and public health. All of us, whatever our political leanings, must raise the alarm to protect and strengthen U.S. science and ensure continued support for research that benefits us all.