As of late, living in the United States has become increasingly taxing. I personally find it akin to having a “Pandora’s box” suddenly open with horrors relentlessly jumping out. Our 2025 started off with an exhaustive list of executive orders, which are worrisome to say the least, after Trump’s inevitable inauguration on January 20. Amongst these are a transition to an America that only recognizes two sexes and disregards people’s right to define their own gender identity; an end to DEI programs which once ensured diversity, equity, and inclusion in work environments; less obstacles towards the implementation of infamous “energy projects” in Alaska which pose a threat to valuable natural resources; and increased taxes on products from Canada, Mexico, and China, among others.
Although all of these seem incredibly relevant to me, as a future medical student, I can not help but be absolutely appalled at the government’s decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization, and cut back on the funds that research institutions receive from the National Institute of Health, which are the nation’s biggest “life lines” for both medical advancement and health crisis management. What will this mean for all the efforts that have been put forth recently to further advance our knowledge concerning the many diseases that affect U.S. citizens? If a new virus strikes (which really, is more a matter of when), what will we do then? How will we be able to fund the necessary research to create new vaccines? On the other hand, being so close to peers that dream of working in labs at some of the greatest institutions this country has, many of them wonder if it’s even a viable option anymore. It leaves many people in health related fields at a standstill.
No more funds for Indirect costs
The National Institute of Health, better known for its acronym NIH, is regarded as the nation’s top organization for research and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Now, research obviously comes at a price and this price is divided up into direct and indirect costs. According to Carole Labonne, a professor of molecular biosciences at Northwestern University who was interviewed by PBS News, direct costs represent money that is given to a specific research project, the materials used for it, and the salary for the scientists. On the other hand, the indirect costs represent the money that would be used to maintain and replace any equipment, order materials for the lab, bookkeep, handle hazard waste, and comply with government regulations. The NIH is in charge of subsidizing these indirect costs. In other words, they make the actual procedure of conducting research possible.
So, why would the U.S. government decide to no longer allocate the same amount of funds for all the institutions supported by the NIH? Well, one of its justifications is that this cut in funds would save them up to 4 billion dollars. This sum of money represents about 30-70% of the additional funds that research institutions receive to conduct valuable studies. They’ve proposed lowering this percentage to 15%, which represents a 15% to 55% decrease in funds. If this decision goes through, we could expect to see a mass layoff of research lab employees, hindering the ability to keep a lab running to conduct experiments and later analyze their results. We are left to wonder, how is science supposed to progress under these circumstances?
Luckily, the executive order was never officially approved by Congress and 22 attorneys general sued the Trump administration, which later led to a Federal Court hearing on February 20th where the Federal Judge declared a pause on the procedure. Nonetheless, the NIH is still getting pressured by the Trump Administration to put federal meetings on hold to review grant applications, which could still seriously affect research labs.
Withdrawing from the WHO will most likely eventually affect the CDC
According to their official website, the World Health Organization, also known by its acronym WHO, was founded in 1948 by the United Nations to “promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.” Its main purpose is to handle global pandemics or other health crises around the world. Notably, it provides affordable health care to third world countries. Ever since it was founded, the United States of America has been its greatest funder, playing a pivotal role in the management of the Ebola Virus. That is why the U.S.’ sudden decision to exit this organization can prove detrimental to its functioning. Not just for the World Health Organization per sé, but it is important to mention here that our Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) heavily depends on the WHO for vital databases in order to keep track of important statistics related to health both at a global and national scale. A good example of these databases is the Global Health Observatory, which, according to the WHO itself, provides access to over 1,000 health topics indicators.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the nation’s government organization centered around ensuring the nation’s wellbeing and response to potential health threats, as well as the training of researchers and personnel to help with the organization’s functioning. Back in 2020, it received a lot of help from the WHO in order to handle the COVID-19 crisis. So now, without it, many are wondering how we’ll face the next big pandemic. Without access to information about new viruses and diseases appearing in nearby countries and without the help of an organization such as WHO to handle said new diseases, there is only so much the CDC can do by itself. How will we know what actions to take, or which treatments and medications are necessary? How will we train the next generation of professionals working at this Center? There are a lot of questions that are yet to be answered.
The future in science and medicine for this country seems very uncertain and it’s clear that if we continue down this path, there will be many setbacks in medical advancements that could otherwise potentially save people’s lives. These decisions don’t only affect the people that directly work at these organizations or the institutions that benefit from funds, but down the line, just like a domino effect, it affects each and every U.S. citizen who still places their hope in our country’s health care system. It affects those who are affected by untreatable diseases in their daily lives, who are waiting on new findings after years of research,who simply live on faith that things will progress and get better. It truly saddens me to see that once again, the government is not putting its people at the forefront of their decision making. And we’re only three months into this new administration… Who knows what else will come out of the box.