I sent this to the Wall Street Journal yesterday. This is a horrendous development.
Collective Punishment of Federally Funded Research
A very dangerous development that has occurred in the Trump administration is the indiscriminate defunding of many worthy HHS Grants, most notably at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. The eliminations are for political reasons (Columbia's response to Palestinian protestors and Penn's position on transgender athletics). The research teams and the patients they are trying to help have taken no positions on these political issues, but they are the victims of this action. These grants are highly competitive, receive the endorsement of the top scientific unconflicted peer-reviewers, and only a small fraction of applications receive funding. A list of about 300 titles, which I fear is the first wave of defunding can be seen in the first link below. If you read the titles of the defunded grants , you will see over 20 HIV and over 20 gender-related ones. Those making these cuts are certainly much less qualified than the peer-reviewers and granting agency experts. Scientific merit is not considered. Did the cutters look at the grant reviews or merit scores?
https://taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data/HHS_Grants_Terminated.pdf. Click or tap if you trust this link." rel="noopener">HHS Grants Terminated
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump-administration-suspends-175-million-in-federal-funding-for-penn-over-transgender-swimmer/ar-AA1BfYPp?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=db4fd24450af4f6aaf4dab768c0c1d1f&ei=9. Click or tap if you trust this lin" rel="noopener">Trump administration suspends $175 million in federal funding for Penn over transgender swimmer
As Project 2025 is unfolding, with clearly unqualified cabinet appointees in all areas relating to health, this should be a wake-up call to all Americans, regardless of party. When evidence-based science is flaunted, we all suffer the consequences.
Jonathan J. Shuster, PhD
Not part of letter: My credentials at the time of retirement in 2008. I am Professor Emeritus
Phone: (352) 682-0893
https://hobi.med.ufl.edu/profile/shuster-jonathan/
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Jonathan Shuster
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