Joe. My.God
President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed cutting $1.23 billion this fiscal year from research funded by the National Institutes of Health, according to a White House document sent to congressional appropriators.
The reduction is part of $18 billion in cuts that the administration wants in fiscal 2017, which ends in October. Most of the proposed reductions at NIH would come from research grants, with $50 million specifically taken from a program meant to support biomedical research in states that typically get less agency money.
When I read this, I thought immediately about Jesse Helms.
Huffington Post 7/21/2008 (when Helms died):
Beyond his hateful words, Helms’ bigotry was shown by his political aims. He led the opposition to the federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, supported the apartheid regime in South Africa, and consistently opposed civil rights legislation. For nearly two decades, he fought tooth and nail against expanded federal funding for AIDS research, and exploited gays and lesbians as convenient scapegoats in his constant fear-mongering crusade. (Emphasis mine)
One of my San Francisco co-workers said: "Trump's rolling back the clock, isn't he?"
Yes, but not to a kinder, gentler time.
