Senators Baldwin and Welch Host Town Hall on Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease Cures
On March 26, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-VT) hosted a Congressional townhall on Trump and Musk’s Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease Cures. The event was held in response to efforts by the Administration to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including major reductions in the NIH workforce.
The town hall featured remarks from former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli; Dr. Sterling Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor and Associate Director of Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; Dr. Whitney Wharton, Emory University Associate Professor and Alzheimer’s Disease researcher; Dr. Larry Saltzman, former Executive Research Director for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society; and Mr. Jessy Ybarra, Board of Trustees member for the ALS Association.
In her announcement of the town hall, Sen. Baldwin said, “As Donald Trump and Elon Musk claim they want to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ they are halting lifesaving research that gives Americans battling Alzheimer’s disease and cancer hope every day that they have a fighting chance at getting better.” The town hall focused on the impacts of the recent executive actions taken by the Trump Administration, particularly on vulnerable populations and health researchers. Other attendees included Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), and more. No Republican Senators were in attendance.
During the town hall, Sen. Baldwin spoke to the detrimental effects of the Trump Administration’s communication and funding freezes, which has harmed current and future research projects, created uncertainty among researchers in the U.S. scientific research enterprise, and negatively impacted people potentially receiving treatment from federally funded facilities. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) cited that the actions have led to researchers not knowing whether they will receive the promised funding or experience an abrupt cancellation of their federal grants.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) also indicated that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was “sowing fear and disrupting operations” at NIH, and voiced concerns over the impact this would have on the workforce pipeline as probationary employees and fellows are terminated. To this end, Dr. Wharton spoke to the devastation of the cuts being made by the Trump Administration and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), noting that many scientists have spent substantial energy and resources pursuing a career in scientific research only to face a hostile environment, leading to concerns that they may leave the industry for a more “viable” career path.
Finally, Dr. Bertagnolli highlighted the importance of basic research, stating that the research needed to create drugs and inform private sector research is “overwhelmingly” funded by the NIH. “A completely different area of research,” said Dr. Bertagnolli, “could also be the key to unlocking something that the public needed in an emergency that is absolutely lifesaving.” To this end, Dr. Johnson added that “the progress of the past two decades have been nothing short of remarkable.” Many Democratic Senators echoed concerns over the loss of research and researchers due to the confusion and uncertainty made by the Trump Administration and DOGE.
A recording of the town hall can be found here.