Mass Firings Reform NIH Effectively
False Assumption: Indiscriminate firing of thousands of NIH researchers and drastic funding cuts eliminate waste and wokeness without destroying biomedical excellence.
Written by FARAgent on February 11, 2026
Trump's virtuous Warp Speed oversight earned no credit due to delays like Pfizer's. Post-election aides targeted NIH over COVID anger, waste, and wokeness. They fired thousands supposedly for cause and slashed university funding suddenly.
Actions disrupted the entire NIH support system. Vast majority of rank-and-file researchers took no part in malfeasance. History shows excellence hard to build, easy to destroy as in German physics and Russian biology.
Growing recognition urges measured reforms over blind lashing out. Target worst offenders like COVID investigators and social-justice commissars. Reinstate others to preserve America's Nobel dominance and global innovations.
People Involved
- In the waning days of his administration, President Trump's aides and interim appointees pushed for sweeping changes at the NIH. They acted as good faith proponents of reform. These officials pursued hamfisted measures that fired thousands of researchers and slashed funding. Their goal was to root out waste and what they saw as wokeness. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“His aides and interim appointees have made serious errors overseeing NIH, apparently in a hamfisted effort to eliminate two real, grave threats to American excellence: waste and wokeness.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
Organizations Involved
The NIH had long tolerated waste and elements of wokeness, enforced by social-justice commissars. It also faced backlash for its handling of COVID. This provoked a reform backlash from political quarters. Growing evidence suggests these institutional flaws did not justify the broad attacks that followed. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Social-justice commissars must be sent packing.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
The Foundation
The assumption took root in the belief that broad purges could address specific threats without lasting damage. Proponents drew on historical precedents, like the destruction of German physics and Russian biology under political pressure. Those cases fostered the idea that science could rebuild easily elsewhere. Increasingly, this view is seen as flawed, though the debate continues. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“The history of German physics and Russian biology in the first half of the 20th century shows that scientific excellence is hard to build, but terribly easy to destroy.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
How It Spread
A vindictive mood gripped political circles after COVID missteps. This anger spread through the actions of political appointees. They opted for indiscriminate reforms amid righteous fury. The idea gained traction in heated discussions, but growing evidence suggests it overlooked deeper complexities. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“It is difficult not to suspect an element of vindictiveness in these indiscriminate mass layoffs and cutbacks.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
Resulting Policies
Under President Trump, appointees implemented mass firings at the NIH. Thousands of researchers lost their jobs. They also imposed sudden, drastic cuts to university research funding. These policies aimed to eliminate perceived waste and ideological excess. The approach is increasingly recognized as flawed, yet opinions remain divided. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Thousands of researchers at NIH have been fired, supposedly but implausibly for cause. The entire NIH system for supporting university research has been disrupted by sudden and drastic cuts in proposed funding.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
Harm Caused
The firings and funding cuts disrupted NIH support for university research. Scientists faced the risk of departing the field altogether. Rebuilding US biomedical excellence grew uncertain. This threatened the global medicine pipeline. Growing evidence points to these harms, though the full impact is still debated. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Even if U.S. researchers depart for other countries, as their German and Russian predecessors did, there is no guarantee that they will rebuild the excellence that has won America more than 100 Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
Downfall
Historical examples of ruined scientific fields began to highlight the folly of such purges. Anonymous scientists stepped forward with proposals for targeted fixes instead. These voices helped break the spell of overreach. The assumption is increasingly seen as flawed, with evidence mounting against it, even as consensus builds slowly. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“We propose to treat NIH’s misbehavior in the way that a prudent commander treats a mutiny. Examples should be made of the worst offenders.”— Make Biology Great Again, Mr. President
Sources
- [1]