American Government Cuts Down on All COVID-19, Long COVID, Vaccine and Chronic Fatigue Research

U.S. Medical News: In a move that has shocked the global scientific community, the United States government under President Donald Trump has initiated sweeping cuts to crucial health research programs. These cuts affect funding not only for ongoing COVID-19-related studies but also for research into long COVID, vaccine development, pandemic preparedness, and chronic illnesses like myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The implications of this decision could prove catastrophic for public health in America and across the world.


 
At the heart of the issue is the decision by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to cancel billions of dollars in research grants. This U.S. Medical News report explores the consequences of this sudden rollback, why it is happening, and how it endangers the lives of millions of Americans and the integrity of global scientific efforts.
 
A New Agenda: Termination of COVID-19 Research
Documents obtained by top science journal Nature reveal that U.S. NIH officials have been instructed to begin terminating hundreds of grants related to COVID-19, under the justification that the pandemic is “over.” The memo, circulated to grants-management specialists on March 25, included COVID-19 among a list of research topics that the agency would no longer support - alongside subjects like transgender health, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), climate change, and even studies related to China and South Africa.
 
The NIH, long regarded as the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research, has up until now been overseeing nearly 600 projects involving COVID-19, amounting to almost $850 million - roughly 2% of its $47 billion budget. Now, these projects face imminent cancellation. Similarly, the U.S. CDC has begun slashing an additional $11.4 billion in pandemic response funding, impacting state and county health departments as well as non-governmental organizations.
 
Adding to the dismay is the termination of a $577 million antiviral drug discovery program launched in May 2022. This project was designed to develop broad-spectrum antiviral treatments not just for SARS-CoV-2, but also for a range of potential pandemic-causing viruses, including Ebola, Zika, dengue, measles, and chikungunya. Scientists warn that this rollback is a dangerous gamble, leaving humanity exposed to the next outbreak with fewer tools to respond.
 
“This is clearly shortsighted - we desperately need new treatments against viruses,” said Jason McLellan, a structural virologist at the University of Texas at Austin, whose own project was cut on March 24. He added, “To cancel the entire grant because a small portion involved SARS-CoV-2 is going to be dangerous for future pandemic preparedness.”
 
Politicizing Science and Suppressing Knowledge
The reasoning behind these terminations appears more political than scientific. Internal documents now include a controversial clause: any project named on a list issued by the NIH Director or the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can be terminated, with no explanation or recourse. Notably , the HHS is now led by anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raising concerns that ideological motives are driving public health decisions.
 
For example, the updated NIH guidance discourages input from scientific staff in grant assessments, citing concerns that researchers are “too biased.” Instead, grants-management officers - bureaucrats, not scientists - are making the decisions, prompting fears of sweeping cuts without proper scientific review. “They’ve been taking a chainsaw to grants and not a surgical laser,” said a prominent virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, underscoring the indiscriminate and politically motivated nature of the cuts.
 
Long COVID Research in Jeopardy
The abrupt cancellation of COVID-19 studies is not limited to antiviral development or vaccine improvements. Long COVID - a complex, poorly understood condition that afflicts millions - has also been deprioritized. The $1.6 billion RECOVER initiative, designed to uncover the root causes and treatments for long COVID, now hangs in the balance.
 
In a devastating blow to long COVID patients, the HHS announced this week that it will shut down its Office of Long COVID Research and Practice. Established in 2023 to coordinate federal responses to the crisis, the office’s closure effectively eliminates the only centralized government effort addressing the issue. Staff were not informed whether they would be reassigned or laid off, adding further chaos.

“This is a real slap in the face to the many patients struggling with the long-term health effects of COVID infections,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University. She stressed that the move contradicts the administration's public pledge to focus on chronic illnesses.
 
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Silent Casualty
Among the lesser-known casualties of these budget cuts is research into ME/CFS - a debilitating illness that causes extreme fatigue and cognitive impairment and affects millions of Americans. Columbia University’s Center for Solutions for ME/CFS, one of the few major research hubs dedicated to the condition, has been forced to shut down after its funding was abruptly cut.
 
The center had been pioneering studies to define the disease and develop potential therapies. For decades, patients with ME/CFS have struggled to gain recognition and adequate research attention. With this closure, an already neglected patient population faces renewed abandonment.
 
“This isn’t just a financial issue. It’s a human rights issue,” said one Columbia researcher. “We were finally starting to make headway in understanding ME/CFS. Now we’re back to square one.”
 
Disregarding Future Preparedness
One of the most alarming aspects of these cuts is how they directly compromise the United States’ ability to prepare for future pandemics. Programs developing pancoronavirus vaccines - vaccines that could prevent infections from a range of coronaviruses, not just SARS-CoV-2 - have been shut down. This leaves the country defenseless should another coronavirus, or an entirely different pathogen, jump from animals to humans.
 
“These terminations give the impression that we’ve solved all the mysteries of COVID-19, vaccines, and long COVID, which is absolutely not true,” warned a senior scientist involved in one of the canceled projects. “If anything, we’re just scratching the surface.”
 
Nobel Prize-winning virologist Charles Rice, who co-led one of the terminated Antiviral Drug Discovery Centers, called the move “pointless” and “ill-advised,” warning that it will set U.S. science back years.
 
Conclusion: The Dangerous Price of Political Expediency
At a time when the world continues to feel the impact of COVID-19, the Trump administration's decision to cancel hundreds of critical research programs not only jeopardizes the health of current generations but also undermines global pandemic preparedness for decades to come. More than 7 million lives have been lost globally to COVID-19, with over 1.2 million American deaths. Millions more suffer from long COVID and related chronic conditions. To abandon them now is both scientifically reckless and morally indefensible.
 
Science does not operate on political timelines. Research into viruses, vaccines, and chronic illness is not a luxury - it’s a necessity. Defunding this work sends a clear message that scientific advancement and patient care are no longer priorities. It also leaves the United States vulnerable to future health crises, and risks undoing years of progress made by dedicated researchers and public health professionals.
 
As we enter an uncertain future, it is crucial for Americans to remain vigilant, demand accountability, and advocate for the continuation of science-driven policy. The health and safety of generations to come depend on it.
 
References:
https://www.science.org/content/article/saying-pandemic-over-nih-institute-starts-cutting-covid-19-research
 
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00954-y
 
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-pulse/2025/03/25/long-covid-office-latest-casualty-in-hhs-shake-up-00246056
 
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