Leading scientists warn that Trump administration policies jeopardize research efforts and public health

Approximately 1,900 of the country’s leading scientists — including Nobel laureates, medical school deans, and leading researchers — are raising alarm over the Trump administration’s handling of U.S. science, warning that funding cuts and political interference are jeopardizing medical research, public health, and the nation’s global leadership in innovation.

In an open statement to the American public, these experts say that deep funding, mass layoffs, and political interference are disrupting critical research.

“For over 80 years, wise investments by the U.S. government have built up the nation’s research enterprise, making it the envy of the world,” they wrote. “Astoundingly, the Trump administration is destabilizing this enterprise by gutting funding for research, firing thousands of scientists, removing public access to scientific data, and pressuring researchers to alter or abandon their work on ideological grounds.”

A ’climate of fear’ in research

According to the statement, researchers across the country are being forced to self-censor, avoiding topics deemed controversial by the administration. Many are facing financial and legal threats that have put holds on would-be groundbreaking projects. Research institutions are halting faculty hires, delaying life-saving studies, and scaling back graduate programs — threatening the future of medical innovation.

“Researchers, afraid of losing their funding or job security, are removing their names from publications, abandoning studies, and rewriting grant proposals and papers to remove scientifically accurate terms (such as ‘climate change’) that agencies are flagging as objectionable,” they wrote. “Although some in the scientific community have protested vocally, most researchers, universities, research institutions, and professional organizations have kept silent to avoid antagonizing the administration and jeopardizing their funding.”

The scientists are urging policymakers and the public to recognize what’s at stake. “The voice of science must not be silenced,” they wrote, emphasizing the need for sustained research funding and open scientific discourse.

A release regarding the statement was shared by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The full open statement and list of nearly 1,900 signatures can be found here.