In an unusual act of public protest, more than 340 scientists and staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) June 9, 2025 released a statement charging NIH officials and their superiors with politicizing science. The employees implore their new director to reverse cuts and freezes to external grants touching on topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that President Donald Trump has targeted with executive orders.

Dubbed the Bethesda Declaration the plea comes as concerns about cuts and delays to biomedical research by the Trump. The declaration is also aimed at testing Bhattacharya’s avowed support for scientific dissent, say organizers.

Source: https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-staff-and-biomedical-community-sound-alarm-about-agency-politicization-funding

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