Trump’s second term could reshape U.S. disease research, experts warn

A potential Trump administration plans to overhaul the National Institutes of Health, risking the future of infectious disease research and its life-saving innovations.

Anna Maria Barry-Jester reports for ProPublica.

In short:

Trump’s health secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to slash NIH’s focus on vaccines and infectious diseases, reallocating funds to holistic health approaches.
Experts warn that such changes could derail critical biomedical research and harm global leadership in disease treatment innovations.
The NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has historically fueled breakthroughs like HIV treatments, COVID-19 vaccines and Ebola therapies.

Key quote:

"The amount of expertise, the research, the breakthroughs that have come out of NIAID — It’s just incredible."

— Greg Millett, Vice President, amfAR, a nonprofit dedicated to AIDS research and advocacy

Why this matters:

NIH, through its National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has been a global powerhouse, delivering game-changing treatments for HIV, Ebola and, most recently, COVID-19. Cutting its resources risks not only stalling progress but also weakening the U.S. response to future health crises. With climate change already reshaping global disease patterns, dismantling these programs feels to some less like reform and more like rolling the dice on public health.

www.propublica.org

Trump’s second term could reshape U.S. disease research, experts warn

LA fire survivors got a rude surprise that could hit more Americans

Proposed surcharge on oil would help pay for responses to climate-related disasters in Alaska

High Seas Treaty takes effect, giving the open ocean real protection

New map reveals landscape beneath Antarctica in unprecedented detail

Homes that survived the 2025 L.A. fires are still contaminated

The state of science, one year on

Three things to watch in EPA’s endangerment repeal

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Pennsylvania health advocates say Trump’s first 100 days in office have caused “100 harms” to local communities

“They're terrorizing these scientists because they want to keep them silent.”

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.