The Steady Drip: NIH Cuts Billions, Alarming Scientists, Academics (Connecting the Dots: The National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Yale, Johns Hopkins, NPR & Soros Funding, All Networking)

NIH Cuts Billions, Alarming Scientists, Academics (Connecting the Dots: The National Institutes of Health (NIH), The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Yale, Johns Hopkins, NPR & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Saturday, 08 February 2025 03:48 PM EST

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/nih-cuts-spending/2025/02/08/id/1198355/

The Trump administration's move to cut billions of dollars in biomedical research funding is being met with alarm from academic leaders who say the cuts will cripple research efforts underway at the nation's universities and medical centers.

The National Institutes of Health announced Friday that it is cutting funding immediately for the "indirect" costs related to research, including for facilities and academic requirements, reports The Washington Post Saturday.

"The United States should have the best medical research in the world," the NIH said in the announcement. "It is accordingly vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead."

The agency reports that it spent more than $35 billion in fiscal year 2023 on almost 50,000 grants for more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 medical schools, universities, and other research institutions, including $9 billion for indirect costs, reports NPR.

NIH said in a social media post that the cuts for indirect costs spending will save the government more than $4 billion annually, effective immediately. It singled out the endowments received at universities and implied that most universities don't need the extra federal funding.

The announcement comes while researchers are concerned about other steps taken by the Trump administration to cut costs, including restricting the NIH's communications and travel and freezing some research grants.

"This is a surefire way to cripple lifesaving research and innovation," wrote Matt Owens, president of the Council on Government Relations — an association of research institutions, academic medical centers, and research institutes — in an email to the Post.

He added that the NIH funding is "part and parcel of the total costs of conducting world-class research," and said that the United States' competitors "will relish this self-inflicted wound."

Harvard Medical School Dean Dr. George Daley told NPR that "we're all reeling" after the announcement, which he said would "decimate medical research."

American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell said there are already some labs shutting down this weekend.

Mitchell said he expects organizations will file lawsuits to block the policy as soon as Monday.

But if the lawsuits don't succeed, there will be "less biomedical innovation, and that is going to contribute to higher degrees of disease and death in the country," he warned.

But Trump's allies, including Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, said the policy will save billions in "excessive grant administrative costs" and hailed the cuts on social media as an "amazing job."

NPR reports that the cuts amount to limiting funding for indirect costs to 15% of grants, far below what many institutions receive to maintain buildings and equipment and pay for support staff and other expenses.

Harvard currently receives 68%, and Yale gets 67%, the NIH says.

"Most private foundations that fund research provide substantially lower indirect costs than the federal government, and universities readily accept grants from these foundations," the NIH said in its notification.

Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH, said the department also has the authority to make the changes retroactively, officials have chosen not to do so "to ease the implementation of the new rate."

"We will continue to assess this policy choice and whether it is in the best interest of the American taxpayer," HHS added.

Connecting the Dots:

Ezekiel Emanuel was the founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the health care policy adviser for the Barack Obama administration, is Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

George Soros was a supporter for the Center for American Progress and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an agency for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Tom Daschle was the nominee for health and human services (HHS) secretary for the Barack Obama administration and is a director at the Center for American Progress.

Philip J. Crowley was a director of homeland security for the Center for American Progress and the assistant secretary of state for the Barack Obama administration.

Derek Douglas was an associate director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress and a special assistant for urban affairs for the Barack Obama administration.

Bradley J. Kiley was the VP for the Center for American Progress and a director of management and administration for the Barack Obama administration.

Jeanne Lambrew was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the deputy assistant to the president for health policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Denis McDonough was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the chief of staff; former deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.

Esther M. Olavarria was the director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress and is the deputy assistant secretary, homeland security for the Barack Obama administration.

Jennifer M. Palmieri was the SVP for the Center for American Progress and is the deputy communications director for the Barack Obama administration.

Dan Restrepo was the Americas Project director for the Center for American Progress and a special assistant to the president for the Barack Obama administration.

Gene B. Sperling was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the assistant to the president for economic policy for the Barack Obama administration.

Todd Stern was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and is a special envoy for climate change for the Barack Obama administration.

Cassandra Q. Butts was the SVP for the Center for American Progress, the deputy White House counsel for the Barack Obama administration and is Barack Obama’s law school friend.

Karen Kornbluh was a visiting scholar at the Center for American Progress and Barack Obama’s policy director.

Melody C. Barnes was the EVP for the Center for American Progress, the domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration and is Barack Obama’s golf partner

George Soros was a supporter for the Center for American Progress, the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a benefactor for the NPR.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Center for American Progress the NPR and the Aspen Institute (think tank).

David B. Singer was a fellow at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and is a member of the Sterling Fellows.

Sterling Fellows are donors of $1 million or more to Yale University.

Stephen L. Carter is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and was a professor at Yale University.

Walter Isaacson is the president & CEO for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and an overseer at the Harvard University.

David H. Koch is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank) and an emeritus trustee at Johns Hopkins University.

David M. Rubenstein was a benefactor for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and is a trustee at Johns Hopkins University.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), was a professor at Yale University, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a professor at Harvard University.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Harold H. Koh was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), the developments editor for the Harvard Law Review, an overseer at Harvard University and is a professor at Yale Law School.

Michael H. Jordan was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and an advisory board member for the Yale School of Management.

Richard L. Kauffman was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is an advisory board member for the Yale School of Management.

John L. Thornton is the chair for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was an advisory board member for Yale School of Management.

Judith Rodin was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a provost at Yale University.

David F. Swensen was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is the chief investment officer for Yale University.

C. Douglas Dillon was the chairman for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and an overseer at Harvard University.

John C. Whitehead is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was the chairman for Harvard University.

Ann M. Fudge is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and was an overseer at Harvard University.

Paul E. Peterson was a director of governmental studies at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a professor at Harvard University.

Lawrence H. Summers was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is a professor; former president at Harvard University.

Kenneth M. Duberstein is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a senior advisory committee member for the Harvard University Institute of Politics.

Howard E. Cox Jr. is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a board of fellow’s member for Harvard Medical School.

Herbert M. Kaplan is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a board of fellow’s member for Harvard Medical School.

Cass R. Sunstein is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Lynn Bendheim Thoman is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a board of fellow’s member for Harvard Medical School.

Leonard Abramson was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and is an emeritus trustee at Johns Hopkins University.

David M. Rubenstein is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a trustee at Johns Hopkins University.

Robert J. Abernethy is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and an emeritus trustee at Johns Hopkins University.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Neil L. Rudenstine was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and the president of Harvard University.

Donna S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.

CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.

Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy.

Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative is Obamacare and was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP and an advocate for the ONE Campaign.

International Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE Campaign.

Sarah Brown O'Hagan is an overseer & director at the International Rescue Committee and a trustee at Johns Hopkins University.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is an advisory board member for the Earth Institute (think tank).

Harold Varmus was an advisory board member for the Earth Institute (think tank), a director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is a director at the National Cancer Institute.

National Cancer Institute is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

President's Cancer Panel is an advisory panel for the National Cancer Institute.

Bernadine P. Healy was a director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and

a trustee emeritus at the Hudson Institute (think tank).

Marie-Josee Kravis is a trustee at the Hudson Institute (think tank) and an overseer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Hudson Institute (think tank) and the Harlem Children's Zone.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone and is the founder for the Soros Fund Management.

Stanley F. Druckenmiller was a managing director at Soros Fund Management, is the chairman & benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone and an overseer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Stephen Friedman is an overseer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

David H. Koch is an overseer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Mortimer B. Zuckerman is an overseer at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).