Last year, through Friends Select School, I participated in a research internship at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine’s Fitzgerald Lab and Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT), which was supported by federal funding. The lab conducts cutting-edge research on the impacts of circadian rhythms on the body, supports young researchers, and even finds the time to introduce high school students to the field. Since then, the Trump administration has significantly cut the lab’s funding, and the lab has lost over half of its researchers.
We’ve all heard people mention cuts to science funding, but what have the changes been quantitatively? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an essential organization for this country that monitors and restricts the spread of dangerous diseases. Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, $545.3 million has been cut from various branches of the CDC. Since then, we have seen an increase in the spread of dangerous diseases such as measles. In 2024, approximately 350 cases of measles were reported in the United States. The following year, there were 2,286 cases of measles, a huge jump that corresponds exactly to the defunding of the CDC. Even more worryingly, this year there have already been 1,671 cases. Three people have been confirmed to have died from measles in the last year, with more likely to follow as a direct result of these actions.
If we are talking more about the impact specifically in Pennsylvania, $5.8 billion was cut from the Children’s Health Insurance Program. This program provides health insurance to 175,678 Pennsylvania children and teens who don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Cutting funding to this program will ultimately cause people to lose access to health insurance, which will in turn lead to injury and death. $3.7 billion has also been cut from the National Institutes of Health’s funding for researchers. While this might have less direct impacts than the cuts to the CDC, its effects are lasting and equally dangerous.
Cutting research funding nationwide has caused significant damage to many universities, which do not have the resources to fund themselves internally. “More than 1,600 NSF grants, totaling more than $1.5 billion in research investments, have been terminated since April, according to Grants Watch.” Cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) affect more than just research. “More than half of the terminated NSF grants were STEM education grants, … a loss of $773 million in funding.” These funds both provide essential financial support to create the next generation of skilled workers and are a huge supporter of the national economy and of Philadelphia specifically, including $250 million in NSF grants for colleges in the Philadelphia area. Removing funding from science will, over time, force some of the smartest U.S. citizens to move elsewhere for work. This type of “brain drain” is common in countries falling into authoritarianism, and it never works out well.
The lack of research funding is not only harming our country from a geopolitical standpoint, but it is also having direct effects at the local and personal levels. A large part of science funding goes to climate research institutes. These institutions have faced some of the most severe budget cuts, and this will decrease our ability to both fight climate change and predict natural disasters. According to a recent Politico article, “U.S. sales sank by at least half in 2025 compared with their normal levels. The company specializes in instruments that collect detailed environmental measurements, and most of its U.S. clients are federal agencies and universities.” This decrease in sales of environmental equipment is a direct result of branches of government being unable to afford the equipment they need. This will limit scientific progress and economic growth. Politico also reported: “The consultant added that the United States — and the world — will feel the aftershocks of this pullback, both scientifically and economically.” But these are nationwide effects. What have these changes meant for Philly?
We are directly affected by these cuts; local universities are being heavily impacted and losing research grants that support invaluable research and the scientists who carry it out. Our region is experiencing a brain drain, and with it, seeing a shrinking of local spending. Even some of the strongest research institutions in Philly, such as the University of Pennsylvania, are feeling the effects. According to a 2025 announcement at Penn, “Faculty across seven different schools received stop work orders last week on federally contracted research, amounting to approximately $175M. These contracts include research on preventing hospital-acquired infections, drug screening against deadly viruses, quantum computing, protections against chemical warfare, and student loan programs.” This research saves lives and contributes to the local economy.
Funding cuts are causing lasting harm. As Friends Select interim biology teacher Sean Kelch explained, “I think the impact of these funding cuts will continue to be felt for decades because of the projects that have been canceled and the people that have left academia or the United States in search of more stable employment.” This is really the core of the issue with cutting research funding: the administration made a decision for immediate profit that will cause harm to the country in the long term. “I think there is a misguided attempt to center research funding around what is immediately profitable,” said Sean.
The loss of federal funding is affecting Philadelphia’s ability to sustain the research that makes it a national leader in science and medicine, and is harming many people’s lives. It is imperative that we stand up for the research community by speaking to our elected officials and expressing our support for the sciences. After all, the loss of their research doesn’t just harm our knowledge base; it also directly affects the quality of life in our city.
