Trump’s desired research funding cuts – now blocked by courts – would hamper Oregon research into Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes

By Ben Botkin, Oregon Capital Chronicle 

Oregon medical researchers and three Democratic members of Oregon’s congressional delegation warned that the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail funding will hamper the ability of the state’s science community to do groundbreaking research that can save lives and advance health care.

For Oregon alone, tens of millions of dollars are at stake in federal funding for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, opioid addiction and other health conditions. The National Institutes of Health is the nation’s biggest funder of biomedical research, and the bulk of its grants to Oregon researchers go to Oregon Health & Science University.

In 2024, OHSU received $352 million from the NIH, the equivalent of about 60% of its research grants. A slice of that is now in peril. The Trump administration wants to whittle down the so-called “indirect costs,” or the overhead costs of keeping research labs running. For OHSU, that would mean a cut of somewhere between $60 million and $80 million, said Peter Barr-Gillespie, OHSU’s executive vice president.

“I want to emphasize to everyone here that if this rule goes through, it really will cripple our ability to do biomedical research,” Barr-Gillespie said during a news conference Friday.

NIH-funded projects at OHSU are wide-ranging and varied. One study is focused on foundational work for a universal flu vaccine. Another project has created a blood test with the potential to detect pancreatic cancer sooner. A third is exploring the potential creation of HIV medication that would eliminate the need for daily medication to keep the virus in check.

The courts will have a key role in how Trump’s drive to slash funds plays out. Oregon and 21 other Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration earlier this month to prevent cuts in NIH funding. On Monday, a federal judge in Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order in that case.

But in the meantime, researchers across the country are worried about what will happen to their projects as the issue is fought in court. And those researchers and their projects are connected, according to Barr-Gillespie. A project in Oregon can help another researcher elsewhere make a discovery, as information is shared among scientists, he said.

The NIH grants are appropriated through Congress, and researchers nationwide benefit, including in red states. Democratic lawmakers in particular have repeatedly stressed that the executive branch does not have the power of the purse.

“The bottom line is this, Trump and (Elon) Musk cavalierly and illegally cut resources for medical research,” U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden said. “It is lawless to unilaterally freeze congressionally approved decisions.”

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, also at the news conference,  encouraged Oregonians to speak out against the funding cuts.

“Donald Trump is trashing the Constitution, and that’s something all patriotic Americans have to stand up and say, ‘absolutely unacceptable,’” Merkley said.

Democratic members of Oregon’s congressional delegation say they are looking for ways to keep Trump in check.

“I want to say to concerned Oregonians, we are going to do all we can to stop this short sighted, dangerous anti-science agenda,” U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici said.

Ben Botkin covers justice, health and social services issues for the Oregon Capital Chronicle.