Angus Rohan Chen

House and Senate appropriators endorse NIH budget increase, reject Trump’s proposed cuts Congressional appropriations committees offered a near-total rebuke of President Trump’s proposed downsizing and reshaping of the NIH

Congressional appropriators have largely pushed back on Trump's proposals for the NIH:

-Slight budget increase
-No changes to indirect cost payments
-Limits use of multiyear funding to FY25 levels (NOT FY24)

From @jonathanwosen.bsky.social & I

www.statnews.com/2026/01/20/n...

Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute A popular and respected scientist is reported to be in line to lead the nation's most important cancer research office.

We and CNN reported that Anthony Letai of Dana Farber is the leading candidate now to lead the NCI. Word that he'd been tapped to lead the institute spread rapidly, and cancer researchers reacted w relief and optimism over the potential appointment www.statnews.com/2025/09/24/n...

Fifty cancer types in one liquid biopsy test: Exact Sciences enters early-detection market A new liquid biopsy test from Exact Sciences scans for 50 cancers in one blood sample. The company says it marks a new era in early detection, but there are caveats.

Fifty cancer types in one liquid biopsy test: Exact Sciences enters the early-detection market, where it looks to compete with Grail. Interesting story via @angusrohan.bsky.social for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2025/09/11/e...

Despite fear of retaliation, hundreds of federal workers urge Congress to protect medicine and science Federal workers send Congress a letter pleading for help, but their trouble attracting signatures reflects fear of retaliation.

"We took an oath. You did too. Will you uphold yours?” Nearly 900 federal workers, including CDC and NIH staff, signed a letter to Congress urging it to protect medicine and science. Story via @angusrohan.bsky.social and @aniloza.bsky.social for @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/f...

Kennedy, in striking turn, accuses ousted CDC director of lying about leadup to her firing Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday said ousted CDC Director Susan Monarez was lying about the leadup to her firing.

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a striking turn, accuses ousted CDC director Susan Monarez of lying about the leadup to her firing, Andrew Joseph reports for @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/h...

Now, even Senate Republicans are pushing back on Kennedy’s vaccine views Three Republican senators joined Democrats in questioning Kennedy’s contradictory statements on mRNA vaccines and Operation Warp Speed.

"Visible fractures": Analysis from @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social at @statnews.com

www.statnews.com/2025/09/04/k...

Layers of political oversight have ‘put sand in the gears’ of NIH grant funding Last November, in the days following Donald Trump’s election, leaders at the National Institutes of Health began discussing how to prepare for the coming

When Trump signed an EO signaling more political oversight of research it didn’t set off new alarm bells inside the NIH

They’d already been ringing for months

@mmolteni.bsky.social @angusrohan.bsky.social & I document how politicization has slowed the agency down

www.statnews.com/2025/08/15/i...

thanks nsikan!

omg lol. Considering how slow I am, eventually from not writing off the last latte would force me to get the cheapest caffeinated beverage possible, adding yet another 4000 words to the total debt. The credit card debt of writing :O

i would never be able to afford the $8.35 at this rate, let alone a meal out. 14,000 words for a sandwich??? My god I'd be writing off my last lunch for weeks!

NIH is shrinking the number of research projects it funds due to a new Trump policy NIH plans to shrink the share of grant applications it will award for the remainder of the fiscal year, in some cases by more than half.

Last month, I wrote about a new Trump policy requiring NIH to fund multiyear awards upfront, and concerns that it would shrink the number of new grants NIH could support. Those fears are now being realized. From me, @aniloza.bsky.social, & @angusrohan.bsky.social :

www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/n...

How Republicans sidelined the health care industry and pushed through historic Medicaid cuts The passage of President Trump's signature tax cut bill shows how the health care industry's influence is waning.

How Republicans sidelined the health care industry and pushed through historic Medicaid cuts www.statnews.com/2025/07/08/t... via @statnews.com

White House unveils sweeping plan to try to lower U.S. drug prices The White House unveiled a sweeping plan to try to lower prescription drug prices, one that calls for a "most-favored nation" policy and tighter enforcement of anti-competitive practices.

White House unveils sweeping plan to try to lower U.S. drug prices www.statnews.com/2025/05/12/t... via @danielpayne.bsky.social for @statnews.com

Day by day, how Trump is roiling science and health STAT is tracking, day by day, what's happened in the words of science and health during the first months of the Trump administration.

STAT's been keeping track of the Trump government's actions in his first 100 days. See the timeline here: www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/t... via @statnews.com

NIH grants plummeted $2.3 billion in Trump’s first months, as federal-academia partnership crumbles The NIH has scaled back its awards of new grants by at least $2.3 billion since the beginning of the year, a STAT analysis shows.

Just my colleagues being the best health journalists on the internet www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/t... via @statnews.com

@kcmaine.bsky.social hi! I saw your post earlier that your stomach cancer study was shut down? Would you be open to speaking with me about that? Let me know! Thanks

A study came out recently showing nearly 40 million people in the US use at least one of the services that are in question - jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Supreme Court to hear challenge to ACA rule requiring free preventive care, cancer screenings The Supreme Court will hear a challenge of preventive health care coverage mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The ruling could affect millions of Americans.

Supreme Court to hear challenge to ACA rule requiring free preventive care, cancer screenings www.statnews.com/2025/04/17/k... from me @statnews.com

5 high-level CDC officials are leaving in the latest turmoil for the public health agency The CDC was rocked by five high-level departures on Tuesday in the latest turmoil for the nation's top public health agency.

"This means close to a third of the agency’s top management is leaving or left recently." A wave of CDC departures -- that were not announced publicly. www.statnews.com/2025/03/25/c...

People genuinely don't know. Spread the word. Tell your friends, neighbors, colleagues, people on the street. Put up flyers and stickers (a roundup here): bsky.app/profile/pron...

NIH cuts halt 24-year program to prevent HIV/AIDS in adolescents and young adults NIH terminated grants for a program studying how to diagnose, treat, and prevent HIV and AIDS in adolescents and young adults.

NIH cuts halt 24-year program to prevent HIV/AIDS in adolescents and young adults www.statnews.com/2025/03/25/n... via @statnews.com

Cancer research, long protected, feels ‘devastating’ effects under Trump Cancer research has had bipartisan support. But Trump administration budget cuts and delays threaten to reverse progress of recent years, experts say.

Trump promised that he would “get the cure for cancer.” But with the field eyeing losses in the 100s of millions of dollars, experts warn the administration could slow new discoveries, writes @angusrohan.bsky.social for @statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2025/03/24/t...

Cancer research, long protected, feels ‘devastating’ effects under Trump Cancer research has had bipartisan support. But Trump administration budget cuts and delays threaten to reverse progress of recent years, experts say.

Cancer research has held a near-sacred spot in research. Now, experts told me, it's facing an unprecedented threat that's putting science - and lives - at risk. Paywalled, but let me know if you need a discount to STAT+! www.statnews.com/2025/03/24/t...

Hi Jon,

Not sure if you're writing about your friend or if they're interested in speaking to media, but I'm writing about the impacts that NIH cuts are having on cancer patients and research. Let me know if they might be interested in sharing a bit of their story with me?

Former NIH director Francis Collins, once beloved in Washington, now worries for his safety there Former NIH director Francis Collins is so concerned for his personal safety that he has hired security at his home

Former NIH director Francis Collins, once beloved in Washington, now worries for his safety there www.statnews.com/2025/03/10/f... via @statnews.com

Judge issues preliminary injunction blocking Trump cuts to NIH research overhead payments A federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing NIH payments for research overhead

Judge issues preliminary injunction blocking Trump cuts to NIH research overhead payments www.statnews.com/2025/03/05/n... via @statnews.com

NIH terminates ongoing grants for LGBTQ+ research Saying that "research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific," the agency wrote to scientists to cancel current grants.

Scientists thought that the govt would honor existing, ongoing grants. But late last week, the NIH terminated ongoing grants for LGBTQ+ research www.statnews.com/2025/03/03/n... via @statnews.com

NIH terminates ongoing grants for LGBTQ+ research Saying that "research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific," the agency wrote to scientists to cancel current grants.

Funded LGBTQ+ health research is being terminated by the NIH with dishonest & disparaging form letters. www.statnews.com/2025/03/03/n... By @angusrohan.bsky.social

Trump administration rehires some FDA employees it fired The Trump administration has started quietly rehiring some FDA employees just days after it fired them.

The Trump administration quietly rehires some fired FDA employees.

www.statnews.com/2025/02/23/f... via @statnews.com

‘Enjoy your life after governor’: Trump and Maine’s governor spar at the White House over transgender athletes - The Boston Globe “We’re going to follow the law, sir,” Governor Janet Mills told Trump.

President Trump had a testy exchange with Maine Governor Janet Mills over his threat to withhold federal funding from the state unless it bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports.