Listen: Some Scientists Speak Out on Deep Cuts to National Cancer Institute, While Others Flee

By Rachana Pradhan

July 25, 2025

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<br /> <span class="byline"><br /> By <a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/author/rachana-pradhan/"><strong>Rachana Pradhan</strong></a> </span></p> <p>LISTEN: A National Cancer Institute employee says cuts to research funding and a perceived lack of transparency at the agency are threatening the well-being of cancer patients. A spokesperson for the agency says that’s “misleading” — it’s working to make sure money is well spent.</p> <p>The National Cancer Institute, long credited with driving down U.S. cancer death rates, is <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/national-cancer-institute-nih-cuts-chaos-scientific-biomedical-research/">facing massive upheaval</a> as the Trump administration imposes deep funding cuts. Grants have been abruptly terminated, key employees laid off, and essential patient resources left unmaintained.</p> <p>Hundreds of current and former NIH employees have protested through the <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/nih-workers-protest-federal-cuts-bhattacharya-trump-american-health/">Bethesda Declaration</a>, warning that these cuts could stall decades of progress in cancer research.</p> <p>KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan appeared on WAMU’s “Health Hub” on July 23 to explain what current and former employees of the agency have to say.</p> <p><em>We’d like to speak with current and former personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies who believe the public should understand the impact of what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message KFF Health News on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or <strong><a href="https://connect.kff.org/e3t/Ctc/RB+113/c1ThL04/VVyLdB5CTyTnN1DY-XPtn2vlW3QbRmh5s1S6bN5_C1mM3qgyTW6N1vHY6lZ3lpW4dN1vK4VfzSqN63mtjQ1-jn6W7KCkfM2h6Hb1W8BClgY54rMr1W2kqnfb9l5MdpW1ZMN511HzDMyW8ML_YV98mf-zW5tYFN59fwtQsW3ZPB1q6VSkPFW4rSGfQ4lD_2MW82G5NC7nPgvbW2_XVvB4xMGQlV3twQk18n2LWW66nMtF66FzQ7W5pj7v159w2MnW3QqHDM8G801wMZY0tBnH4FtW2f32qS4XnqPTW2V2MYc8gPxpKW6-9dYD2PmP1GW1rrT6T8Hwrk_N3FbK338Xlz2f6bbsZg04">get in touch here</a></strong>.</em></p> <p><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us/">KFF</a>.</p> <h3>USE OUR CONTENT</h3> <p>This story can be republished for free (<a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/california-community-health-workers-rollback-promotores-promotoras-hispanic/view/republish/">details</a>).</p> <p>
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