A major reorganization of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — including massive cuts to the federal workforce — threatens scientific progress that drives our economy and improves the public’s health.
Slashing federal funding and staff will hobble the very agencies that fuel medical discoveries and approve new treatments.
In addition, the administration is introducing a new level of administrative review of grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will politicize the process of awarding scientific grants.
These actions reflect a disregard for congressional appropriations and authorizing processes as well as stakeholder experience, and will allow politicians, not scientific experts, to set research priorities.
After recent efforts to freeze and rescind federal funding, the Endocrine Society worries the plan to reorganize HHS is another example of the administration unilaterally deciding not to spend funds that Congress lawfully appropriated.
The Endocrine Society is concerned actions of this scale will hinder HHS’s important public health functions and research related to chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity and other endocrine conditions, including thyroid disease, osteoporosis, infertility, endocrine cancers, and growth disorders.
After recent efforts to freeze and rescind federal funding, the Endocrine Society worries the plan to reorganize HHS is another example of the administration unilaterally deciding not to spend funds that Congress lawfully appropriated. It is not clear that consideration was given to the impact on programs with proven records of protecting the public’s health.
Laying off 1,200 NIH staff members will affect the agency’s ability to fulfill its research responsibilities and slow advancements in endocrine science and other fields. Reduced staffing will impede the NIH’s ability to review grant applications, fund research and run needed programs.
Biomedical research performed at and supported by the NIH is responsible for improving the public health of millions of Americans and people around the world. The loss of staff will leave a gap of knowledge, institutional history, and expertise that will damage the research landscape.
The Society also is alarmed by media reports that NIH research grants will be reviewed by HHS and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Research funding decisions should be made based on scientific merit and public health priorities, not the politics of the day. Introducing political influence into the research process creates an environment where scientists cannot rely on consistent, stable funding sources.
Impeding scientific research and the development of new treatments will ultimately harm millions of people who need medical care for endocrine conditions.
The Endocrine Society calls on the administration to work with Congress and the health and research communities to improve the efficiency of health-related agencies in a transparent, thoughtful manner. The current unilateral approach risks harm to the public’s health and research enterprise.
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