Trump Research Cuts Hit UCSD, Limiting Studies On Aids, Domestic Violence And More

SAN DIEGO, CA — The Trump administration has canceled hundreds of research grants to scientists across the country and research-rich San Diego has taken a huge hit.

The administration has targeted what it calls "ideologically driven science," resulting in grants being cut that fund studies of HIV prevention, pregnancy health disparities, violence prevention in children and more, according to a lawsuit filed this week.

The American Public Health Association, unions representing scientists and some impacted researchers sued the National Institutes of Health, where many of the research cuts have been concentrated. They contend the ideological purge of research funding is illegal, The Associated Press reported.

In a Feb. 18 memo titled, "Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending," President Donald Trump said the federal government "spends too much money on programs, contracts, and grants that do not promote the interests of the American people."

"For too long, taxpayers have subsidized ideological projects overseas and domestic organizations engaged in actions that undermine the national interest," he wrote. "The American people have seen their tax dollars used to fund the passion projects of unelected bureaucrats rather than to advance the national interest."

Research-centered universities like UC San Diego have been particularly hit hard.

In a letter to staff this week, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla revealed that the university could lose hundreds of millions annually from Trump cuts.

"UC San Diego relies heavily on state and federal funding to conduct lifesaving research, treat patients, teach the next generation of leaders, and maintain facilities and operations," Khosla wrote.

"Current and proposed budget cuts, grant cancellations and stop work orders, grant reimbursement policy changes, executive orders, federal agency reductions and payment delays, and threatened cuts to Medicare and Medicaid pose a significant financial risk to the university," Khosla continued. "We are unable to predict exactly what the losses will be, but our initial scenario planning models indicate possible reductions ranging from $75 million to more than $500 million annually. In preparation, I have asked budget offices to model a 2.5% to 12.5% budget reduction based on these initial scenarios."

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Trump administration ordered Dr. David "Davey" Smith, a board-certified infectious disease specialist at UCSD, to pause or limit work on 16 clinical trials focused on treating HIV and AIDS. In addition, at least three other NIH-funded projects at San Diego universities were terminated.

One of the grants that was axed would have funded research into domestic violence against pregnant women, the U-T reported. Rebecca Fielding-Miller, associate professor of public health at UCSD, was part of a team of researchers on the $400,000, two-year grant project.

"Fielding-Miller said the administration's decisions to target research based on its mention of terms and issues it opposes — such as women, gender and ethnicity — means public health realities that affect or disproportionately affect various communities will go unexplored and ignored," the U-T reported.