Since I sent out my last newsletter, the Trump Administration has moved to drastically shrink government support for American science and public health. And they have announced plans for more such changes. Here are just a few examples:
—The Trump Administration is shutting down USAID, thereby killing off clinical trials around the world, crippling US efforts to investigate an Ebola outbreak in Uganda, and halting efforts to block malaria.
—As I write this, PEPFAR, which has saved an estimated 25 million lives by distributing HIV drugs in Africa, is effectively frozen.
—The Trump Administration announced a new policy to severely curtail grants from the National Institutes of Health.
—It is reportedly planning to reduce the National Science Foundation’s budget from $9 billion to $3 billion. The agency may be facing layoffs of somewhere between a quarter to half of its workforce.
—Layoffs at CDC and other health agencies may run to 40 percent or more.
—Postdoctoral researchers are suddenly going unpaid. Some job offers are being withdrawn. I’ve personally spoke to some desperate scientists about this crisis after my recent talks.
—The National Institutes of Health are going silent, forbidden to communicate about a vast range of subjects. I’ve personally experienced this: Last month I asked an NIH representative for basic information about ongoing, fully funded programs. I was informed that I could not get an answer due to a “pause.” There were reports that the pause would be lifted on February 1, but I have yet to get my answers.
—Many NIH websites are AWOL. For example, the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health has vanished. Here’s what it looked like in December.
—Trump officials are blocking the publication of new research on bird flu.
—NOAA and the National Weather Service are reportedly full of “chaos and confusion” over whether they can work with other countries. Note: hurricanes and climate change do not national boundaries.
—The CDC has been blocked from working with the World Health Organization. Note: pandemics do not respect national boundaries.
—But there is work to do. NASA staff were ordered to “drop everything” and scrub their websites of mentions of women and indigenous people.
I could go on. And on. But I hope this incomplete catalog gives you an idea of where American science is headed.
A BOOK AMIDST THE NEWS
I’ll admit it feels weird to be publishing a book about science in the midst of a crisis like this. Over the last few years, as I worked on AIR-BORNE, I certainly didn’t make any predictions about this timing. But even though the book spans centuries, I believe it can help readers make sense of things happening in 2025.
For example: this week in the New York Times, I published a story, drawing on the book. It’s about the fierce debate that unfolded five years ago about whether Covid is airborne five years ago. In my story, I draw parallels to how scientists are now trying to answer some basic questions about influenza, such as how it spreads through the air. With bird flu raising worries of a new pandemic, these are important questions to answer. If scientists can no longer investigate those questions—or are prevented from sharing their results—we will be less prepared for what may lie ahead.
REVIEWS: AIR-BORNE will be coming out in just over two weeks, and it’s already garnered some gratifying early reviews. Scientific American calls it “astonishing.” The New York Times calls it “lyrical.” More to come!
THE AIR-BORNE TOUR: My first stops will include New York (with Jad Abumrad at 92NY), Boston (at the Harvard Science Center) and St. Louis.
Here’s the full tour. If I’m in your neighborhood, I hope you can join me. I’ll be talking about the book, of course, but I will also address the monumental news of the past month (and whatever else comes our way in the next few weeks).
That’s all for now. Stay safe!
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