The Costs

Inspired by The Bethesda Declaration, and started on July 4, 2025.

Inspired by The Bethesda Declaration, by conversations with colleagues and friends, and by ideas from many around the world, I thought that it would be of some use to create a limited, free, web-based resource providing easy access to some of these. Writing is not my strong suit, so I believe it would be best to simply point to items provided by others. A critical goal is to provide information about the costs to the nation and the world of the politically motivated steps being taken by our current federal government, focusing on the attacks on science, health, and expertise. I am most interested in sharing information regarding the impact on science, health, and the lives and well-being of those not directly involved in these matters, including local workers and businesses that will suffer financially, along with the health and well-being of caregivers and others. Thus, I have created this running diary of ignominy. If you have any links that you would like shared, please contact me. I am not always a reliable correspondent, but I will try my best. If you have other suggestions, or if I am sharing information without giving proper credit, or providing information that should not be shared, please let me know.

The Bethesda Declaration.

According to Wikipedia, as of June 9, 2025: “The Bethesda Declaration is a letter written and signed by approximately 300 employees of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), including some anonymous signatures. The letter requests the restoration of cancelled grants, focusing on "life-saving science" and grants "delayed or terminated for political reasons". ”

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Grant Watch is a project to track the termination of grants of scientific research agencies under the Trump administration in 2025. We currently are tracking terminations of grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

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The Nation’s Data at Risk: Ongoing Monitoring. American Statistical Association.

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The Surprising Scientists Hit by Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts. The N.I.H. has terminated hundreds of diversity grants awarded to young researchers, many of whom come from the very places that supported Trump. Kate Zernicki, The New York Times, July 11, 2025.

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Trump Seeks to Cut Basic Scientific Research by Roughly One-Third, Report Shows. An analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science shows the impact of the administration’s budget plan on the kind of studies that produce the most breakthroughs. William J. Broad, The New York Times, July 10, 2025.

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Kennedy Cancels Meeting of Key Preventive Health Panel. The task force recommends which screenings and other preventive health measures must be covered by insurance. Andrew Jacobs, The New York Times, July 10, 2025.

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Measles Cases Hit Highest Total Since U.S. Eliminated the Disease. Experts worry that if vaccination rates do not improve, deadly outbreaks will become the new normal. Teddy Rosenbluth and Jonathan Corum, The New York Times, July 9, 2025.

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“Things we’ll never know” science fair highlights US’s canceled research. Congressional Democrats host scientists whose grants have been canceled. John Timmer, Ars Technica, July 9, 2025.

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As the Texas Floodwaters Rose, One Indispensable Voice Was Silent. The regulatory agency confronts a future determined by a health secretary hostile to its mission. Zeynep Tufecki, The New York Times, July 9, 2025.

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The Supreme Court and Congress have Planned Parenthood in their crosshairs. Trump’s budget bill and the court’s ruling threaten abortion access. Joel Mathis, The Week, July 9, 2025.

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Trump’s spending bill cuts Medicaid: Here’s what it’s called in your state. Susan Habeshian, Axios, July 9, 2025.

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Trump appointees have ties to companies that stand to benefit from privatizing weather forecasts. Brian Slodyski and Michael Biesecker. yahoo!news/AP, July 9, 2025.

American Teachers in Red States Are Walking Away for Good. The predictable consequences of the right wing’s war on public schools are being felt as educators leave their communities—and their profession. Kenneal Patterson, The New Republic, July 9, 2025.

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In an Age of Anti-Intellectualism, What is the Value of Expertise? Bryan Pilkington, Arthur Caplan, and Kayhan Parsi, Voices in Bioethics, July 9, 2025.

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Supreme Court allows Trump to resume mass federal layoffs for now. Nina Totenberg and Anuli Ononye, NPR, July 8, 2025.

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What to Know About the Collapse of the F.D.A. The regulatory agency confronts a future determined by a health secretary hostile to its mission. Jeneen Interlandi, The New York Times, July 8, 2025.

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Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A. How the new health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is dismantling the agency. Jeneen Interlandi, The New York Times, July 8, 2025.

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Lawrence Summers: This Law Made Me Ashamed of My Country. Lawrence H. Summers, The New York Times, July 8, 2025.

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Trump Hires Scientists Who Doubt the Consensus on Climate Change. The three scientists joined the administration after it dismissed hundreds of experts who were assessing how global warming is affecting the country. Maxine Joselow, The New York Times, July 8, 2025.

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Medical Societies Sue Kennedy and H.H.S. Over Vaccine Advice. New restrictions on Covid shots run counter to scientific evidence, the groups said. Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times, July 8, 2025.

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Republicans Are Planning Even More Safety Net Cuts. Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine, July 8, 2025.

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UConn professor speaks out against cuts to higher ed. John Henry Smith. Connecticut Public Radio, July 8, 2025.

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News Analysis: The healthcare cuts approved by Trump, Republicans go well beyond Medicaid. Phil Willon, L.A. Times, July 7, 2025.

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The Death of USAID: How Elon Musk and Donald Trump Ended America’s Foreign Aid Agency. Donald Moynihan and Rachael Zuppke, Wiley Online Library, July 7, 2025.

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You Don’t Have to Be a Doctor to Understand This. Craig Spencer, The New York Times, July 7, 2025.

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U.S. measles cases reach 33-year high as outbreaks spread. Johns Hopkins University data reflects the public health reversal in defeating the vaccine-preventable disease since measles was officially eliminated from the U.S. in 2000. Lena H. Sun, The Washington Post, July 7, 2025.

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Tracking Trump’s Higher-Ed Agenda. The federal government is reshaping its relationship with the nation’s colleges. Here’s the latest. Chronicle Staff, The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 7, 2025.

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NIH announces end to funding for animal-only studies. Brian Buntz, Drug Discovery & Development, July 7, 2025.

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From Food Aid to Dog Chow? How Trump’s Cuts Hurt Kansas Farmers. Kansans created Food for Peace, for 70 years a font of rural income and pride. Now at least one grain broker is trying to sell grain that once fed the world as dog food. Elizabeth Williamson, The New York Times, July 7, 2025.

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Planned Parenthood Wins a Temporary Injunction Over Medicaid Funding. The nonprofit is challenging a new law that bars its clinics from receiving federal money for any treatment, including birth control and checkups. Katie Benner, The New York Times, July 7, 2025.

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States scramble to shield hospitals from GOP Medicaid cuts. Hospitals stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars under the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline, July 7, 2025.

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Boston University, Broad Institute among higher ed institutions cutting staff, citing federal funding cuts. WBUR Newsroom, WBUR, July 7, 2025.

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RFK Jr.’s Autism Time Machine. The health secretary’s approach to the condition gives the impression that two decades of research simply never happened. John Donvan and Caren Zucker, The Atlantic, July 6, 2025.

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‘Tears My Heart to Pieces’: North Carolina Braces for Medicaid Cuts. President Trump’s domestic policy law jeopardizes plans to reopen one rural county’s hospital — and health coverage for hundreds of thousands of state residents. Eduardo Medina, The New York Times, July 6, 2025.

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Americans Fought Off This Awful Idea in Trump’s Bill. Terry Tempest Williams, The New York Times, July 6, 2025.

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Republicans just cut Medicaid. Will it cost them control of Congress? Republicans’ vote to cut health care programs by more than $1 trillion could hurt them next year. Lisa Kashinsky, Andrew Howard, and Elena Schneider, Politico, July 6, 2025.

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Do Not Pervert Justice. Arthur Caplan, Bioethics Today, July 5, 2025.

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A Lost Generation of Researchers. Cuts to the nation’s science funding are forcing future scholars to delay graduate study, continue it abroad, or forgo it entirely. Megan Zahneis, The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 3, 2025.

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E.P.A. Suspends 144 Employees After They Signed a Letter Criticizing Trump. The letter had accused the Trump administration of politicizing, dismantling and sidelining the agency. Maxine Joselow, The New York Times, July 3, 2025.

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The Truth About the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. The Center for American Progress and The Arc break down the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, exposing how its deep cuts to Medicaid and Medicare will lead to benefit losses, increased paperwork requirements, and rural hospital closures that will hurt Americans — especially people with disabilities. Center for American Progress and The Arc, CAP, July 3, 2025.

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Sweet Vindication for Stem Cell Research, and American Science. Jonathan D. Moreno, The Hastings Center for Bioethics , July 2, 2025.

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Top F.D.A. Official Overrode Scientists on Covid Shots. Records show that a top U.S. regulator rejected the recommendations of agency experts and limited the use of Covid vaccines. Christina Jewett, The New York Times, July 2, 2025.

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Trump administration freezes billions in funding for after-school and summer programs. CBS News, July 2, 2025.

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The Trump admin is withholding over $6 billion in education grants for schools. Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, July 1, 2025.

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National Climate Report Website Goes Dark. Rebecca Dzombak, The New York Times, July 1, 2025. The federal website hosting five legislatively mandated reports stopped working Monday afternoon.

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E.P.A. Workers Warn Trump Is Politicizing Their Work. Maxine Joselow, The New York Times, June 30, 2025. In a public letter, employees of the Environmental Protection Agency accused the administration of engaging in unlawful partisan activity and endangering public health.

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How to Wreck the Nation’s Health, by the Numbers. Steven H. Woolf, The New York Times, June 30, 2025.

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How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months. An assault on federal protections may bring about a new era of unchecked discrimination. Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times, June 27, 2025.

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Kennedy’s New Advisers Rescind Recommendations for Some Flu Vaccines. Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times, June 26, 2025. Critics saw in the move the beginnings of a more restrictive approach to providing vaccines to Americans.

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Elon Musk Is Playing God. The tech billionaire wants to shape humanity’s future. Not everyone has a place there. Charlie Warzel and Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, June 24, 2025.

In April, Ezibon Khamis was dispatched to Akobo, South Sudan, to document the horrors as humanitarian services collapsed in the middle of a cholera outbreak. As a representative of the NGO Save the Children, Khamis would be able to show the consequences of massive cuts to U.S. foreign assistance made by the Department of Government Efficiency and the State Department. Seven of the health facilities that Save the Children had supported in the region have fully closed, and 20 more have partly ceased operations.

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Trump is undermining U.S. science. Here’s why that’s dangerous. Science has played a crucial role in making the United States great and powerful. Neal F. Lane and Michael Riordan, The Washington Post, June 18, 2025.

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Red-State Universities Will Get Hit by Trump’s Cuts, Too. Richard Florida, The New York Times, June 12, 2025.

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Fulbright Board Resigns After Accusing Trump Aides of Political Interference. Edward Wong, The New York Times, June 11, 2025. The board members are concerned that political appointees at the State Department, which manages the program, are acting illegally by canceling the awarding of Fulbright scholarships.

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AAMC Releases New Report Detailing Impact of Federal Actions on Academic Medicine. AAMC.org, June 11, 2025.

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National Academies Presidents Stress Importance of Science in Decision-Making About Vaccines. National Academies, June 11, 2025.

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White House looks to freeze more agency funds — and expand executive power. The latest move targets more than $30 billion in spending at EPA, the National Science Foundation and other agencies. Scott Waldman and Corbin Hiar, E&E News by Politico, June 10, 2025.

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NIH Scientists Issue ‘Bethesda Declaration’ to Protest Research Politicization. In an open letter, researchers and staff at the National Institutes of Health raise concerns over recent policy changes.  Shelby Bradford, TheScientist, June 10, 2025.

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A letter of support for a lawsuit defending scientific research, sent on June 9, 2025, from Sally Kornbluth, President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to members of the MIT Community, regarding the filing of amicus (“friends of the court”) briefs related a suit filed by Harvard University to block a federal action to eliminate all grant funding that it receives from the U.S. government.

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NAS President Says U.S. Science Is Facing ‘Pessimistic’ Future, Urges Changes to Regain Leadership in Science, Marcia McNutt, National Academies, June 8, 2025.

Watch the State of the Science address and the panel discussion that followed (June 3, 2025).

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Time for Congress to save American science … and the nationJohn P. Holdren and Neal F. Lane, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, June 6, 2025.

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The Disappearing Funds for Chronic Diseases. These are the nearly 2,500 N.I.H. grants that have been ended or delayed. Irena Hwang, Jon Huang, Emily Anthes, Blacki Migliozzi and Benjamin Mueller, The New York Times, June 4, 2025.

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The White House Gutted Science Funding. Now It Wants to ‘Correct’ Research. Somini Sengupta, The New York Times, June 3, 2025.

Thousands of scientists, academics, physicians and researchers have responded to the administration’s executive order about “restoring a gold standard for science.”

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U.S. Scientists Warn That Trump’s Cuts Will Set Off a Brain Drain. Kate Zernicke, The New York Times, June 3, 2025.

As the United States cuts budgets and restricts immigration, China and Europe are offering researchers money and stability.

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We are witnessing the suicide of a superpower. Max Boot, The Washington Post, June 3, 2025.

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RFK, Jr. attacks "corrupt journals" with a corrupt idea of his own. Gary Schwitzer substack. May 29, 2025.

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See what research at Tennessee universities was defunded in Trump’s federal grant cuts. Axed projects include vaccine education, support for STEM students with disabilities, rural mental health program. Cassandra Stephenson, Tennessee Lookout, May 27, 2025.

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Trump Cancels Federal Research Grants. What Are the Consequences? May Ellen Flannery, neaToday, May 27, 2025

While more than $1.5 billion in federal grant money has been terminated by the Trump administration, the consequences at state universities and community colleges are particularly dire.

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Why I’m Resigning from positions at the NSF and Library of Congress. Alondra Nelson, Time, May 13, 2025.

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RIP American innovation. Why destroy the funding that made the United States a leader in technology and invention? Bina Venkataraman, The Washington Post, May 12, 2025.

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US govt's science foundation purges 37 divisions, equity unit among casualties. DEI another day: Trump priorities bite as $1B in grants vanish, layoffs loom. Thomas Claburn, The Register, May 9, 2025.

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NSF terminates over 1,000 grants in 2 weeks. Chemistry education researchers and others hit by cuts weigh appeals and lawsuits. Krystal Vasquez, c&en, May 2, 2025.

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Amid DOGE-induced turmoil, National Science Foundation is in crisis. The $9 billion agency exists entirely to fund science researchers, projects and facilities outside its Alexandria, Virginia, headquarters. It’s had to hit pause on its main mission. Carolyn Y. Johnson and Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post, May 2, 2025.

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Trump administration cancels lease for NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies lab in New York City. Monisha Ravisetti, Space and NASA News, April 27, 2025.

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I Used to Run the N.I.H. Here’s What Worries Me. Harold Varmus, The New York Times, Feb. 14, 2025

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White House budget proposal could shatter the National Science Foundation. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, Feb. 9, 2025

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Trump’s Shameful Campaign Against Transgender Americans. The Editorial Board, The New York Times, Feb. 9, 2025

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Are we paying too much for biomedical research? Trump's attack on NIH. Dick Aslin, Dick’s Substack, Feb. 08, 2025

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Trump policies sow chaos, confusion across scientific community. Joel Achenbach and Carolyn Y. Johnson. The Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2025

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The List of Trump’s Forbidden Words That Will Get Your Paper Flagged at NSF. Matt Novak, Gizmodo.com, Feb. 5, 2025

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Here are the words putting science in the crosshairs of Trump’s orders. Carolyn Y. Johnson, Scott Dance and Joel Achenbach, The New York Times, Feb. 4, 2025

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Health Programs Shutter Around the World After Trump Pauses Foreign Aid. Stephanie Nolie. The New York Times, Feb. 1, 2025

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What Trump’s First Days Say about Science in the New Administration. Michael S. Lubell and Philip Rubin. Scientific American, Jan. 29, 2025

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