Trump seeks to further tighten grip on biomedical research

President Donald Trump is attempting to tighten his control over biomedical research in the United States, according to recent reports. Since his return to power in early 2025, Trump has significantly reduced federal funding for scientific research, with a particular focus on biomedicine. White House officials have reportedly discussed establishing an external commission that could veto grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agency responsible for medical research in the US.

The White House budget director, Russell Vought, a staunch Trump supporter, has been at the forefront of criticizing the NIH, alleging that it funds "woke" research. The president of Research!America, Russ Paulsen, responded to these allegations by stating that adding more bureaucrats would hinder medical progress. Harvard University and other leading institutions, where much of the research occurs, are central to Trump's campaign to impose his conservative agenda on US research and education.

Recently, American researchers filed a lawsuit against the NIH, alleging that the agency is blocking grants to censor views it opposes, ranging from diversity and gender identity to climate change. One affected researcher, Ann Cohen, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh, stated that her grant, which aimed to identify and reduce dementia risk in historically underserved communities, was cut.