Sen Tammy Baldwin accuses Trump administration of 'waging war on science' during NIH budget hearing

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Tammy Baldwin sharply criticized the Trump administration during a Senate hearing on Thursday, May 21, accusing it of “waging war on science” through funding cuts, staffing reductions and disruptions to federal health research programmes.

Baldwin, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing health funding, delivered the remarks during testimony from Jay Bhattacharya, who appeared before lawmakers to defend the administration’s proposed budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Bhattacharya, who is also serving as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has faced mounting criticism in recent months over canceled vaccine studies, reductions in research funding and internal turmoil at major public health agencies.

Tammy Baldwin warns of damage to US scientific leadership

In her opening remarks, Baldwin said the administration’s policies were undermining America’s long-standing position as a global leader in medical research and biomedical innovation.

“Over the past 16 months, the Trump administration has waged war on science, and I’m not talking about isolated policy disputes or partisan disagreements,” Baldwin said.

“I’m talking about systematic dismantling of long-standing research programs, and the deliberate erosion of research institutions that make America the global leader in biomedical innovation,” she added.

The Wisconsin senator also expressed concern over what she described as a leadership vacuum within federal health agencies, particularly amid reports of a growing Ebola outbreak abroad.

“In the midst of an emerging Ebola outbreak, we have a leadership vacuum at the world’s premier infectious disease institute and across our health agencies,” Baldwin said. “That is of great concern.”

Baldwin pointed to hiring freezes, workforce cuts and grant reductions at the National Institutes of Health, arguing that the disruptions were affecting universities, hospitals, research centers, and patients nationwide.

“This chaos has ramifications across the country,” she said. “Hiring freezes are hollowing out research labs and forcing institutions to rescind job offers to young scientists. Clinical trials are being canceled or postponed.”

NIH officials say funding cuts could delay diabetes research

During the hearing, Griffin Rodgers warned lawmakers that proposed reductions in NIH funding could slow or halt important research efforts, including projects focused on type 1 diabetes.

Responding to questions from Susan Collins, Rodgers said budget reductions would force difficult decisions regarding ongoing studies.

“A reduction in funding will have consequences, of course,” Rodgers said. “We’d have to either delay or postpone many of our efforts, including our TrialNet effort.”

TrialNet is a major international research partnership studying ways to delay or prevent type 1 diabetes. Its work contributed to the approval of the first drug shown to delay the onset of the disease.

Collins, a Republican who has often supported biomedical research funding, questioned the rationale behind the administration’s proposed cuts.

“For the life of me, I cannot understand why the budget would propose a $167 million cut for your institute,” she said.