NEWS: Sanders Releases Report Documenting Trump’s War on Science

WASHINGTON, May 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released a new report uncovering the far-reaching scope of Trump’s attacks on science and their impact on public health.

“Since January, Trump has launched an unprecedented, illegal and outrageous attack on science and scientists. Trump is not only denying scientific truth but actively seeking to undermine it,” said Sanders. “That is beyond unacceptable.  This is a war we cannot allow Trump to win. Far too many lives are at stake.”

The report finds that Trump officials effectively cut $2.7 billion in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in the first three months of 2025 – including a 31 percent cut to cancer research through March, compared to the same timeframe last year.

“Trump’s war on science is an attack against anyone who has ever loved someone with cancer,” said Sanders. “The American people do not want us to slash cancer research in order to give more tax breaks for billionaires.”

The report draws on HELP Committee Minority Staff’s interviews with dozens of federal scientists, workers, and experts to explain how Trump officials are suppressing what scientists can say, controlling how scientists work together, and erasing scientific data. Among those interviewed:

• One doctor said, “purging public health agency websites of data” would leave health care workers “without vetted guidance on how to treat patients.”
• Staff at the NIH Clinical Center explained how clinical care had been abruptly interrupted, and said, “Initially, we had whole labs full of people that were fired. Complete chaos. Nobody had any idea if their tests were being run. This administration has a lot of blood on their hands. We're not political people. We just want to take care of people."
• One former HHS official said, “I chose to go into federal service because I care about people. I want to be able to answer to the taxpayer, not the shareholder.”
• Multiple officials confirmed that scientific communication with the World Health Organization has been severely restricted.

Trump’s arbitrary firings of HHS workers are already threatening the health and well-being of tens of millions of seniors, children, and working families.  For example, HHS has fired:

• A division at FDA that helped millions of Americans get faster access to low-cost generic prescription drugs;
• A team at CDC that supported states responding to environmental health threats like pollution, wildfires, and lead in drinking water; and
• Critical staff in NIH’s clinical cell-therapy program, delaying treatment for patients with advanced cancer. One Stage IV cancer patient said, “The reality is that by reducing money and staff, the NIH will not be able to produce my treatment and it might cost me my life. That does not sound like an administration that cares about its people.”

The report documents how Trump officials have undermined the important role that vaccines play in preventing disease during the single largest measles outbreak in over 25 years –  with 1,001 cases reported, 126 hospitalizations, and 3 deaths.

Trump officials have also lied about the consequences of their actions. Elon Musk says “no one” has died from the foreign aid freeze. But researchers estimate nearly 200,000 people have already died, and a global vaccine program estimates 1.2 million children – equivalent to 60,000 classrooms of kids – will die because of cuts that will save taxpayers 0.005 percent of the federal budget.

“Let's be clear. Trump’s war on science is not making America healthy again. It is making Americans and people throughout the world sicker,” said Sanders. “This must end. Congress, the scientific community, and the American people must stand up and fight back.”

Read the report here.