Government Cuts & Changes Alarm Pediatric Cancer Community

The last few months have brought substantial change to the federal government and sweeping cost cutting across federal agencies by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). On March 27th, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary announced a major restructuring, including laying off 10,000 employees, reducing the workforce (including voluntary departures) from 82,000 to 62,000. In addition, HHS will consolidate its 28 divisions into 15, including the creation of a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).

The cuts and terminations of this week became dramatically real across the Department of HHS as reductions in force (RIFs) were reported at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As an example, we understand that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), where we have been successful in securing funding for several survivorship studies, has just lost significant staff. In addition, FDA has lost many senior leaders responsible for developing drug development strategies, leaving it in disarray.

The continuing efforts to cut government oversight of vital research and programs will mean delays in safe, effective treatments being developed and coming to market. As we recently published, we stand with the broader healthcare community in opposing any changes that threaten the long history of stable, uninterrupted, and robust federal support for cancer research.

All of us in the patient advocacy community will need to forge ahead and keep the focus on better treatment and care for cancer patients and the lifetime needs of the country’s more than 500,000 childhood cancer survivors.