On April 1, NIH scientists announced a major breakthrough in the fight against gastrointestinal (GI) cancers — a new form of personalized immunotherapy that successfully shrank tumors in patients with colon, rectal, and other GI cancers. For the first time, there is real hope that the immune system can be trained to attack solid tumors — a challenge that has long stymied researchers and claimed countless lives.

But that hope is now at risk — not because the science failed, but because the Trump administration is dismantling the infrastructure that makes this life-saving work possible.

Due to recent NIH staffing cuts and budget restrictions, patients are already being turned away or forced to wait. Natalie Phelps, a 43-year-old mother of two with metastatic colorectal cancer, was told she qualified for one of these breakthrough trials. But due to a lack of available personnel and resources, her treatment has been delayed indefinitely — and she may not have months to wait.

This is not a bureaucratic inconvenience. It is a matter of life and death. Clinical research at NIH has been throttled by firings of experienced scientists, delays in procuring basic medical supplies, and restrictions that prevent collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

The Trump administration must act immediately to:

1. Restore full staffing and resources at the NIH, especially for teams conducting life-saving clinical trials.
2. Lift harmful administrative restrictions that are delaying treatment for critically ill patients.
3. Publicly commit to protecting medical research from political interference and short-term cost-cutting that puts American lives at risk.

The United States should be leading the world in medical innovation — not holding it back. We cannot allow partisan decisions to derail scientific breakthroughs – especially when cancer rates are rising, particularly among people under 50. 

Reverse the NIH cuts. Restore the staff. Protect the science. And give patients like Natalie a chance to survive.