According to a report published Sunday by The New York Times, the Trump-Vance administration has canceled more than $800 million in research into the health of sexual and gender minorities.
According to the paper, more than half of the grants canceled by the National Institutes of Health through early May were for the study of cancers and viruses that affect LGBTQ people.
The move extends beyond efforts to reclaim diversity-related programs and gender affirming care for transgender and gender diverse youth, involving large swaths of research by institutions such as Johns Hopkins and Columbia, as well as public universities.
The Times reports that a $41 million cut to Florida State University will halt “a major effort to prevent HIV in adolescents and young adults, who account for one-fifth of new infections in the United States each year.”
A surge in federal funding for LGBTQ health research began during the Obama-Biden administration and has continued since. During his first term, Trump committed significant resources to his Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States initiative.
Cuts made during Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s second term as health secretary have called the program’s future into question.