Baldwin Blasts Trump Administration for Stopping $65 Million for Alzheimer’s Disease Research

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, slammed the Trump administration for stopping $65 million in funding for Alzheimer’s disease research at 14 research institutions across the country. 14 of the 35 Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) have had their funding halted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) because the Trump Administration continues to cancel NIH Advisory Council meetings, which are the final required step in the grant approval process.

Since day one, the Trump Administration has prohibited NIH from announcing more than 185 study section and Advisory Council meetings on the Federal Register, forcing the cancellation of NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) January Advisory Council meeting where renewal applications for the 14 ADRCs were to be reviewed. As a result, those 14 ADRCs will begin to run out of funding starting today, and all of them will run out of funding by April 30^th. This is just one example of the tens of thousands of grants and billions of dollars in medical research funding that the Trump Administration is currently holding up across NIH.

“President Trump has single-handedly stopped Alzheimer’s disease research in its tracks, let that sink in,” said Senator Baldwin. “The millions upon millions of families with a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias are relying on this research for hope, but Donald Trump and Elon Musk are refusing to fund this research because they are in an all-out quest for every dollar they can find for their billionaire tax break. This is Alzheimer’s disease research– including at the University of Wisconsin – that is discovering ways to prevent these diseases, detect them earlier, develop new treatments, and ultimately find cures – but Donald Trump is throwing that by the wayside so he can give handouts to his wealthy friends.”

The NIA funds 35 ADRCs at major medical and academic institutions in 24 states across the country. Scientists at these Centers are conducting cutting-edge research to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease and providing resources and infrastructure for patients suffering with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. These Centers also train the next generation of researchers to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease and help families manage symptoms and cope. This national network of Centers is dedicated to developing and testing new ways to detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent dementia and improve care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Much of the important progress in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research in the United States over the last 40 years stems from research conducted at the ADRCs.

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