The administration of US President Donald Trump saw a 31% decrease in funding during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same time last year, as reported by a Senate investigation that accused the White House of waging a “science war” on Tuesday.
An analysis requested by Senator Bernie Sanders indicated that, by April, over $13.5 billion in health-related funds—including 1,660 grants—had been cut, alongside the dismissal of numerous science personnel.
Significantly, there was a loss of $2.7 billion in funds from January to March compared to the previous year, resulting in grant amounts not seen in a decade when adjusted for inflation.
Sanders, who is the highest-ranking member of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee, stated, “Since January, Trump has initiated an unprecedented, illegal, and outrageous assault on science and those in the scientific community.” He characterized Trump’s stance as not only a denial of scientific facts but as an active effort to undermine scientific integrity.
The report, which included interviews with a variety of federal scientists and healthcare professionals, described chaos within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his support of vaccine skepticism.
According to one doctor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had removed at least 175 public health datasets, which left clinicians with “no reviewed guidance on patient care.”
A colorectal cancer patient, who had undergone various treatments, expressed frustration over delays in joining a T-cell therapy trial at the NIH. She voiced concern that the funding and staff reductions at NIH could jeopardize her treatment and, ultimately, her life.
Researchers at the NIH Clinical Center reported “complete confusion” after an entire lab was shut down. One researcher lamented, “There’s a lot of blood in this administration. We just want to take care of people.”
The report also warned of misinformation risks amid increasing measles outbreaks, which have affected over 1,000 individuals and resulted in three fatalities. More than 40 grants aimed at studying vaccine hesitancy have been scrapped.
In a related note, Kennedy brought on David Geier, a vaccine conspiracy theorist with a controversial past, including practicing medicine without a license and conducting unapproved trials on children with autism. Despite Trump’s proposal for a 26% budget reduction in HHS for the following year, $500 million has been allocated to Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy” initiative.
AFP has called for a response from the administration regarding these findings.
