NIH is responsible for life-saving drug developments yet Trump and Musk are illegally dismantling the agency.

Question

NIH is responsible for life-saving drug developments yet Donald Trump and Elon Musk are illegally dismantling the agency.

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Has any new drug saved your life or the life of someone you know? If so, you can thank the NIH, which Trump and Musk are illegally destroying, in violation both of the law creating the NIH, and appropriations laws telling NIH what money to spend and how

Answer 1

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has played a crucial role in developing life-saving drugs and medical advancements. Recent actions by the Trump administration, with involvement from Elon Musk, have raised significant concerns about the NIH's future.

In early 2025, the administration announced substantial cuts to NIH funding, including capping indirect cost rates at 15%, which are essential for supporting research infrastructure. This move has been criticized as potentially devastating to ongoing medical research. Senator Tammy Baldwin stated, "The President and Elon Musk... are illegally cutting funding that families rely on for groundbreaking research that is finding cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes.

Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) implemented mass layoffs, affecting approximately 10,000 employees across agencies including the NIH. These cuts have prompted bipartisan concerns about the impact on food and drug safety, medical research, and disease prevention. 

Legal challenges have arisen in response to these actions. A coalition of 16 states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the NIH acted outside its authority by arbitrarily canceling grants based on ideological grounds without proper justification. Furthermore, a federal judge blocked the administration from drastically cutting medical research funding, citing potential endangerment to patients and job losses. 

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/researchers-aclu-sue-over-trumps-ideological-purge-nih-grants-2025-04-02/?utm_source

Comments

I agree and enjoyed your perspective. the NIH has been a very important part of our government especially when it came to covid and seeing it being attacked disappoints me greatly as one of this countries young people

Answer 2

This is true that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are trying to cut funding from the NIH.

 A qoute from the article "Trump Team Dismantles Efforts to Find a Cure for Cancer and Other Deadly Disorders and Dieases"' that the Approprations Comittee released says, "President Trump’s Administration is imposing a new policy to cap indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants at 15 percent, which would cut billions of dollars in funding for life-saving research to develop cures and treatments for diseases."

Another article "With Trump coming into power, the NIH is in the crosshairs" by NPR states, "Some major changes at the NIH would require congressional approval. Trump has the authority to pick the NIH director right away, though the new director would have to be confirmed by the Senate."

https://www.npr.org/2024/11/12/nx-s1-5183014/trump-election-2024-nih-rfk

https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/trump-team-dismantles-efforts-find-cure-cancer-and-other-deadly-disorders-and

Answer 3

A post made on Bluesky by Kevin Elliott claims that Elon Musk and Trump are illegally dismantling the National Institutes of Health (NIH) despite its life-saving drug developments. Kevin Elliott has not referenced any sources in his post to support his claim and his Bluesky profile shows that he is an author and political theorist who studies democracy, ethics, and institutions. His post seems like it could reflect his political views. After some online research I found articles about Trump's administration history with NIH. According to a recent BBC article from February, the Trump administration created a policy which capped "rates grants pay for indirect research costs at 15 percent" (Madeline Halpert BBC). This policy cuts billions of dollars which would have gone to research for life saving medicine and drug development. In regard to Elon Musk's involvement, AAS/Science Magazine reports that the Department of Government Efficiency, had requested to cut 35% from contracts from NIH's parent agencies. In response to this policy 22 lawsuits from separate states were filed, and U.S District Judge Angel Kelly granted a preliminary injunction which temporarily stopped the cuts (PBS). Going back to the original claim Elliott states that the work of Trump and Elon Musk is "illegal", which does not reflect the information I have found from reliable sources. In conclusion, it is true that Trump's administration and Elon Musk's DOGE have aimed to reduce NIH funding, but as of now the case is still undetermined as illegal.

Trump Team Dismantles Efforts to Find a Cure for Cancer and Other Deadly Disorders and Diseases | House Committee on Appropriations

NIH under orders to cancel $2.6 billion in contracts | Science | AAAS

Trump administration to cut billions from biomedical research funding

Federal judge blocks Trump administration’s drastic funding cuts to medical research | PBS News

Comments

Good catch! You noticed the nuance in the claim regarding whether NIH is "illegally" being dismantled. So far many lawsuits have been filed, but they have not all been ruled on. https://www.latintimes.com/22-states-sue-trump-administration-over-reckless-illegal-nih-research-funding-cuts-575226

However, it is worth noting that two federal judges have issued temporary restraining orders halting the Trump Administration’s massive cuts to National Institutes of Health research payments to universities and medical centers. The rulings came in response to two lawsuits, one from 22 states, the other on behalf of private universities and hospitals. The restraining orders are in effect nationwide.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/innovationrx/2025/02/12/innovationrx-federal-judges-halt-trumps-cuts-to-nih-research-payments/

Answer 4

The provided source does not appear to support the claim that Donald Trump and Elon Musk are illegally dismantling National Institutes of Health (NIH). The linked Bluesky post links to another post which includes a pie chart and a link to a study. The graph communicates that over 99% of research into new approved drugs is funded by the NIH, a figure mentioned in the linked study. However, the study is unrelated to current events involving the NIH, simply comparing the research spending on new drug approvals by the NIH and the pharmaceutical industry between 2010-2019. 

Regardless, the claim that Trump and Musk attempted to "dismantle" or "destroy" NIH is subjective, as it is unknown what exactly is meant by those terms. However, it does appear true that Trump and Musk attempted to illegally cut NIH funding, which I assume is what this claim is referring too. 

According to a press release published on thehouse.gov the Trump administration has imposed a cap of 15% for indirect research costs for NIH which would cut "billions of dollars in funding for life-saving research to develop cures and treatments for diseases." The release cites a provision to the annual appropriations bill that funds the NIH which explicitly prohibits the Administration from changing NIH's existing policy for funding research institutions. 

A page published on ag.ny.gov reiterates these points explaining that New York State Attorney General Letitia James sued the Trump administration for their illegal cutting of NIH provided funding. 

https://democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/trump-team-dismantles-efforts-find-cure-cancer-and-other-deadly-disorders-and

https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-sues-trump-administration-illegally-cutting-funding