In trimming what it deemed “woke” and wasteful spending, the current administration cut millions in critical federal cancer research funding. The cuts represent a stark contrast to the concerted efforts to fund research for cancer prevention, treatment, and care. It marks not just a political scythe of public dollars, but a cruel acknowledgement that the US is no longer a leader in medical research. 

Progress, Undone

The Cancer Moonshot initiative started in 2016 under President Barack Obama and was spearheaded by then-Vice President Joe Biden, who took office in 2022. The effort ramped up federal cancer research funding through massive agencies like the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institutes of Health. 

Federal funding for cancer research increased every year from 2014 through 2024, hitting $8 billion the year the current president took office. The initiative offered considerable progress, including:

  • Over 100 new cancer drugs approved by the FDA
  • 99.4% of FDA-approved drugs were at least partially funded by the NIH

Cancer Research Funding Cuts (So Far)

Amidst a spree of budget cuts and potentially extralegal firings, the administration turned its attentions to cancer research. In the first half of 2025, the federal government paused the NIH grant-making process, withholding over $1.5 billion in funds for two months. Clinical trials were cut or paused. Among thousands of federal employee layoffs, the FDA, NIH, and CDC saw thousands fired, forced out, or left in occupational limbo, putting important work in jeopardy for months on end. 

Over $35 million in research funds (already dispersed) was left in doubt due to the administration barring the Department of Veterans Affairs from hiring the necessary staffing, which was required by the allotted funds. Congress also cut 60% of the DoD’s Medical Research Program funding, which focused on breast and ovarian cancers. 

Cutting Higher Education Grants

In addition to direct funding, the administration engaged in high-profile, contentious funding disputes with colleges and universities. In cutting grant funding to Columbia, Harvard, and a dozen other entities, millions of dollars are either cut or “frozen,” putting some of the world’s finest cancer researchers on the sidelines. 

All told, the NIH’s Cancer Institute’s appropriations, the largest source of research funding, is projected to fall from nearly $7.3 billion to $4.5 billion in 2026, and additional cuts and budget recisions could lower that total even further. 

What Comes Next

There’s no doubt these cuts will have devastating effects on cancer research immediately. Frozen and eliminated funding has already forced research to a halt in many laboratories, and the uncertainty will give many reservations about new studies or initiatives. Ultimately, cancer research will focus on treatments and cures with the highest potential profit margins, funded by private companies with eyes squarely on the bottom line. Paired with significant cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, which will cause millions of Americans to lose their existing coverage, and the future of American public health is darker than it has been in decades. 

Prevention Always Matters

Less Cancer is committed to keeping cancer prevention and access to healthcare front and center in the public conversation. Through advocacy, education, and programming, we help families, communities, and healthcare providers lower cancer risk. Help us make sure prevention always has a seat at the table; donate to Less Cancer today.