Damage Control in the Wake of Political Action That Threatens the Integrity of Medical Research | Annals of Internal Medicine

"The integrity of U.S. government–funded medical research, perhaps its very existence, is uncertain in the wake of a torrent of executive orders that have flowed from the White House since Inauguration Day 2025. As Annals editors, we are encountering new issues daily. Government employees have declined to serve as peer reviewers, unsure whether participation would violate orders to cease external communication. Other government employees who serve on American College of Physicians committees have canceled their participation in scheduled meetings. Authors have requested that their names be removed from manuscripts that they clearly contributed to, and others have withdrawn manuscripts in various phases of the peer review process. Some authors are uncertain of their ability to respond to requests for revision of provisionally accepted manuscripts that are publicly funded. Useful links in Annals articles to relevant resources on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website ceased to function after information was removed because it contained banned terms, such as gender, pregnant persons, or DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Concerned that their professional correspondence may be under surveillance, some government employees have asked Annals to direct correspondence to their personal e-mail accounts. Communications sent to people at e-mail addresses we know were correct a short time ago are returned as undeliverable. The damage is likely to grow as actions continue to harass, prune, and decimate the Federal workforce...."