Editors Steven Kahn, C.A.M. Anderson, John B. Buse and Elizabeth Selvin use this editorial to detail how the current administration’s health policies are eroding U.S. biomedical research. They cite measles outbreaks fueled by anti‑vaccine rhetoric and the promotion of bogus “food‑source” cures for diabetes as examples of HHS missteps. Congress rebuffed a proposed near‑$18 billion NIH cut, delivering a $47.5 billion appropriation for FY 2026.

Nevertheless, Trump is pressing a FY 2027 budget that seeks a $5 billion reduction to NIH. The plan would dissolve the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, shutter the Fogarty International Center, and trim the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Core institutes such as NIAID and the National Library of Medicine also face steep funding cuts, jeopardizing critical research infrastructure.

Beyond budget cuts, the administration has slashed NIH personnel and left medical advisory councils operating at a fraction of capacity. Vacant seats and politically appointed members delay grant approvals and turn the funding process into a policy‑alignment tool. investigators and universities now confront slower cycles and reduced oversight, threatening the nation’s capacity to translate basic discoveries into clinical advances.