The Trump administration's budget proposal, unveiled on May 30, includes significant funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its National Cancer Institute (NCI). Clifford Hudis, M.D., CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), expressed grave concern over the potential consequences of these reductions. In an official statement, Dr. Hudis described the proposed cuts as “devastating to the pace and progress of cancer research in America” if implemented.
Dr. Hudis emphasized the importance of federally funded cancer research, stating, “ASCO maintains that federally funded cancer research is the single best investment our country has ever made.” He warned that “slashing federal research funding at a time when science is revolutionizing cancer care risks leaving millions of patients without the promise and potential of life-saving breakthroughs.”
The administration's budget suggests reducing the NCI's budget to approximately $4.5 billion, marking a roughly 37% cut from the previous year. More broadly, the NIH's overall budget would be trimmed by $18 billion, bringing the total to $27.9 billion—a nearly 40% reduction, according to summaries from the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Hudis voiced alarm over the drastic funding reductions, highlighting America's historical leadership in medical research. “America became the global leader in medical research and innovation through deliberate design and decades of intentional investment. Proposed funding cuts threaten all we have gained through this investment,” he stated.
He further underscored the urgency of maintaining U.S. scientific leadership, saying, “The U.S. cannot afford to abdicate its leadership in scientific innovation. The path to conquering cancer is to keep pushing science forward and ASCO will continue relentlessly defending and advocating for robust federal cancer research funding.”
The American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) also condemned the proposed budget cuts in a statement released on May 30. The network emphasized that these reductions still require Congressional approval before enactment.
ACS CAN highlighted the critical role of federal investment in cancer research over the past five decades. “For the past 50 years, every significant medical breakthrough, especially in the treatment of cancer, has been linked to sustained federal investment in research at NIH and NCI,” the organization stated. This investment has contributed to “over 18 million cancer survivors currently living in the U.S. today.”
The network warned that “these proposed cuts will lead to more suffering and death from cancer, reversing course on the downward trend in cancer death rates.”
Reference
[1]. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/appendix_fy2026.pdf
[2]. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2026-budget-in-brief.pdf
