Reduced Funding for Public Health Under Trump's Budget Proposal in America
On Friday, the Trump administration revealed a budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year that has sparked controversy and concern within the scientific community and public health sector. The proposed budget seeks drastic cuts to funding for key agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Science Foundation (NSF).
The proposals, known as "skinny" budgets, do not cover any single expenditure of the federal government. However, they provide a glimpse into the administration's priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.
The NIH has been instrumental in the development of every single new drug approved in the U.S. between 2010 and 2016. Yet, the proposed budget calls for a total of $163 billion to be cut in non-defense discretionary spending for the 2026 fiscal year, with the NIH facing a nearly 50% cut. This reduction would impact critical biomedical research on cancer, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, and other public health priorities.
The CDC, responsible for keeping cruise ships free of norovirus and other stomach bugs, would also face a 50% cut in its budget. The decreased funding poses a risk to disease surveillance, prevention, and response efforts vital to national health security. The CDC also provides comprehensive lab testing and other resources to state and local health departments.
The NSF, which plays a crucial role in basic scientific research, innovation, and workforce development, is proposed to be cut by 55%. This reduction threatens the future of scientific research and innovation in the U.S.
The proposed budget also seeks an increase in military spending by 13%. Meanwhile, RFK Jr., who has overseen massive funding and job cuts throughout the Department of Health and Human Services, has been appointed to head the administration's Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative. The budget proposes $500 million for this initiative.
RFK Jr. has a history of spreading misinformation about vaccine safety and autism, and believes in the conspiracy theory of chemtrails. His appointment and the proposed budget cuts have raised concerns about the administration's commitment to evidence-based public health policies and scientific research.
The Trump White House has already attempted to slash some of the science and public health funding earmarked by previous budgets. The Senate Appropriations Committee, however, has shown resistance to these plans. In August 2025, they approved a bill that provides NIH with a modest 1% budget increase and largely maintains CDC funding. This suggests some mitigation of the proposed negative impacts, though uncertainty remains about final appropriations.
In summary, the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts would significantly hamper public health capabilities and biomedical and scientific research by drastically reducing funding and canceling grants at key agencies like NIH, CDC, and NSF. The Senate Appropriations Committee's rejection of these deep cuts offers some hope, but if enacted, the cuts risk slowed progress in disease research, weakened public health infrastructure, and diminished scientific innovation.
[1] CNN [2] Senate Appropriations Committee [3] Nature [4] Science
- The Gizmodo technology news website reported on the controversy surrounding the Trump administration's proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
- The proposed budget seeks reductions in funding for agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Science Foundation (NSF).
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a crucial role in the development of new drugs approved in the U.S., but the proposed budget proposes a nearly 50% cut for the 2026 fiscal year.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responsible for disease surveillance, prevention, and response efforts, but faces a 50% cut in its budget.
- The National Science Foundation (NSF), which plays a role in basic scientific research, innovation, and workforce development, is proposed to be cut by 55%.
- The budget proposes an increase in military spending by 13%, but also allocates $500 million for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, headed by RFK Jr.
- RFK Jr. has a history of spreading misinformation, including about vaccine safety and autism, and has been appointed to head the MAHA initiative.
- The Senate Appropriations Committee has shown resistance to the proposed budget cuts, approving a bill that provides a modest increase in funding for the NIH and largely maintains CDC funding.
- The proposed budget cuts risk slowed progress in disease research, weakened public health infrastructure, and diminished scientific innovation in the areas of health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, mental-health, therapies-and-treatments, and nutrition, and questions remain about whether policy-and-legislation changes in the realm of cbd and general-news will follow.
