US President Donald Trump’s administration has reduced federal funding for cancer research by nearly one-third in the first quarter of 2025, according to a detailed Senate report released on Tuesday.
The findings suggest a deliberate shift away from long-standing scientific programs, sparking concern among health professionals and lawmakers alike.
The 78-page report, commissioned by Senator Bernie Sanders, outlines major funding reductions affecting public health and research institutions. By April, the federal government had withdrawn at least $13.5 billion in health-related funding, the report states.
This included the cancellation of over 1,600 grants and widespread staff layoffs at agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
One of the most heavily impacted organizations is the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which lost over $300 million in just three months. This sharp drop has pushed inflation-adjusted cancer research funding to its lowest point in more than ten years.
The NIH, which oversees the NCI, saw its overall budget slashed by approximately $2.7 billion during the same period.
“Since January, Trump has launched an unprecedented, illegal and outrageous attack on science and scientists,” said Senator Sanders, who currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “Trump is not only denying scientific truth but actively seeking to undermine it.”
The report is based on interviews with dozens of scientists and healthcare workers. Many describe confusion and disruption inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), now under the leadership of vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At the CDC, at least 175 data sets were reportedly deleted, removing essential resources from doctors and researchers.
One cancer patient, a 43-year-old woman undergoing an advanced T-cell therapy trial at NIH, shared that her treatment was delayed due to a shortage of staff. “The reality is that by reducing money and staff, the NIH will not be able to produce my treatment — and it might cost me my life,” she told Senate staff.
Inside NIH’s Clinical Center, some researchers described the situation as “complete chaos” after whole labs were shut down. One staff member said, “This administration has a lot of blood on their hands. We just want to take care of people.”
The report also notes the public health risks stemming from canceled vaccine research. Over 40 grants studying vaccine hesitancy were cut, even as a measles outbreak spread to more than 1,000 people, causing three deaths.
Adding further controversy, Kennedy reportedly appointed David Geier, a vaccine conspiracy theorist with a disciplinary record, to investigate discredited links between vaccines and autism. Geier has previously faced legal action for practicing medicine without a license and using untested treatments on children.
Despite the funding cuts, the Trump administration has proposed a $500 million allocation for Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, which focuses on lifestyle choices rather than traditional medical research. At the same time, a 26% cut to the entire HHS budget is being proposed for 2026.
