CHINA WATCHChina Surpasses U.S. in Research Spending – the Consequences Extend Far Beyond Scientific Ranking and Clout

By Caroline Wagner

The Trump administration has presided over a dramatic disinvestment in U.S. scientific research. A hollowed-out research base may cause the U.S. not only to fall behind, but also to progressively lose its ability to benefit from science. China’s rapid rise in science thus arrives at a moment when the U.S., under this administration, appears no longer interested in maintaining U.S. scientific leadership.

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ASSAULT ON SCIENCEPanicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments – Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work as a Research Dean into Crisis Management

By Nara Parameswaran

None of us in research leadership positions around the country had ever faced anything like the Trump administration’s attacks on universities and science. Countless breakthroughs that have altered the course of human and animal health have been made possible by sustained federal research investment through agencies such as NIH. Declines in support for these researchers, coupled with reduced graduate enrollment and ongoing visa challenges, risk erasing an entire generation of scientists, with consequences that will reverberate for many years.

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TARGETING SCIENCETrump’s Second Term Is Reshaping U.S. Science with Unprecedented Cuts and Destabilizing Policy Changes

By Kenneth M. Evans

President Donald Trump is far from the first president to be deeply skeptical of the academic research community. But his relentless attempts to overhaul the federal support system for research and development have set a new precedent for the level of mutual distrust and its consequences for scientists.

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RISKY BIOLOGICAL RESEARCHDefining Risk in Biological Research: Why Researchers Need Clearer Oversight Frameworks

By Barbara Del Castello, Adeline Williams and John Tarangelo

Policymakers and researchers need a consistent and transparent way to weigh the risks and benefits of risky biological research to facilitate review processes and oversight.

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ASSAULT ON SCIENCECircumcision, Tylenol, and Autism? RFK Jr. Misses the Cut

By Jeffrey A. Singer

When public health officials use their platforms to promote pet theories instead of proven science, it’s not just sloppy—it’s dangerous. These pronouncements shape research priorities, regulatory decisions, and the information the public is allowed to hear. When science gets filtered through political agendas and personal crusades, public health becomes a tool of control rather than a source of trust. HHS officials wield enormous influence over Americans’ medical choices; that power demands humility and restraint—not speculation masquerading as science.

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How Federal Research Support Has Helped Create Life-Changing Medicines

The Trump administration is proposing a nearly 40 percent budget reduction to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which sponsors a significant portion of biomedical research. A new study finds that over 50 percent of small-molecule drug patents this century cite at least one piece of NIH-backed research which would likely be vulnerable to that potential level of funding change.

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