Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe | JAMA Forum | JAMA Health Forum | JAMA Network

"Scientists researching new cancer cures are neither culture warriors nor campus protesters. But so far, the biggest financial blows against academia have been borne by biomedical research. The Trump administration has selectively canceled grants, fired intramural researchers, and plans to cut billions that are paid by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for indirect costs. The administration has proposed to Congress a 43% cut to next year’s NIH budget, equivalent to $20 billion per year. The government has threatened to stop funding virtually all biomedical research if certain universities do not accept demands for changes in curriculum, admissions, hiring, and other policies—none of which are related to lifesaving science. As a result, hiring freezes are common at medical centers, and clinical trials are or might be put on hold...."