Trump 2.0 Day 3: Who needs medical research, anyway?

Biomedical researchers throughout the country found out yesterday that the ‘pause’ in communications by federal health agencies that Mr. Trump ordered yesterday has resulted in their scheduled study sections and grant reviews being cancelled indefinitely, putting into jeopardy their vital work.

For fiscal year 2024, researchers in New Jersey's 7th congressional district were awarded grants in the amount of $2,170,987 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Throughout New Jersey, 1,025 NIH research grants totaling $609,868,835 are funding work at research labs in New Jersey’s universities and pharmaceutical industry.  

This funding, seemingly being taken away without notice or justification, supports thousands of good paying jobs in New Jersey. The economic impact of terminating these grants would be devastating, not to mention the medical breakthroughs that won’t be discovered. 

Some of the research impacted within NJ-07 includes transdermal treatment for pregnancy-induced nausea and vomiting, a test for preeclampsia risk during the first trimester of pregnancy, the development of wound dressing to combat multi drug resistant infections, and a method to filter solvents from water (something that would be useful the next time someone dumps industrial waste into our water supply). Throughout New Jersey, the NIH has funded research into cancer treatments in the hope that we can find a cure once and for all.