At American Cancer Society Breakfast, Governor Healey Emphasizes Massachusetts’ Commitment to Research and Science in the Face of President Trump's NIH Cuts

At American Cancer Society Breakfast, Governor Healey Emphasizes Massachusetts’ Commitment to Research and Science in the Face of President Trump's NIH Cuts  

Governor highlights Massachusetts' response through DRIVE, Mass Wins and continued support for researchers and patients at ACS CAN Research Breakfast 

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey today joined researchers, physicians, life sciences leaders and patient advocates at the 19th Annual American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Research Breakfast, where she warned that ongoing federal cuts and disruptions to biomedical research funding are threatening lifesaving medical advances, clinical trials and thousands of jobs across Massachusetts. 

Speaking before more than 250 leaders from health care, research, academia and industry, Governor Healey highlighted the outsized impact that National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding has on Massachusetts and renewed her call for the Trump Administration to reverse policies that have delayed research, halted clinical trials and jeopardized the state's innovation economy. 

“The American Cancer Society represents one of the most important strengths we have as a state — people who devote their talent, ability and resources to finding cures and saving lives,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Massachusetts is home to the world's leading research institutions, hospitals, and life sciences companies because we have built an ecosystem that turns discovery into cures and hope for patients. President Trump's attacks on research funding are putting that progress at risk. Clinical trials are being delayed, talented researchers are leaving, and promising discoveries are being put on hold. In Massachusetts, we are going to keep investing in research and science because the work happening here saves lives around the world.” 

Massachusetts receives more NIH funding per capita than any other state, supporting groundbreaking research, clinical trials and hundreds of thousands of jobs. The Trump Administration has cut an estimated $2.6 billion in terminated National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation grants for lifesaving research and development at Massachusetts universities, hospitals and research institutions. Earlier this year, Governor Healey sent HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. evidence that NIH funding cuts had stopped 383 clinical trials nationwide and impacted more than 74,000 patients, including 18 clinical trials and 13,000 patients in Massachusetts.  

Governor Healey’s speech came on the heels of a new report authored by dozens of current and former NIH staff members that lays out the ways in which the Trump Administration is politicizing biomedical research and undermining the agency’s work, including slowing medical research. Additionally, the White House recently proposed a new rule that would require political appointees to review all research funding decisions to ensure they advance President Trump’s priorities and allows multiyear grants to be cancelled at any time. 

Governor Healey and her administration have worked closely with leaders across the research, health care and life sciences sectors to develop strategies that strengthen Massachusetts' position as a global leader in innovation. Governor Healey's proposed DRIVE Initiative would invest hundreds of millions of dollars in research and innovation while leveraging private investment to support high-impact discoveries, retain talent and create jobs. The Governor's Mass Wins economic development bill also includes investments designed to help startups, entrepreneurs and innovators grow and succeed in Massachusetts. 

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Research Breakfast brings together leaders from government, academia, healthcare, industry and advocacy organizations to discuss the future of cancer research and public policy. This year's event focused on the importance of sustained investment in scientific research and the role government plays in advancing medical breakthroughs.