As you're aware, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color are already extremely underrepresented in scientific studies and, as a result, struggle to access lifesaving care, understand if basic medication will work for them, or even be believed by their doctors. In the face of these scientific gaps, we have made significant progress in the last few decades thanks to commitments to diversity in scientific research that you have each praised.

Dr. Bhattacharya, you recently stated "I don’t think that [the orders are] aimed at stopping fundamental research that advances the health and wellbeing of minority populations. I wouldn’t have accepted this job if that was the case.” “I think that the health and wellbeing of minority populations, as well as every American, are a central focus of the NIH and will continue to be under my watch.”

And Mr. Stone, you are likely aware given your tenure at the NSF that in May 2024, less than one year ago, Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan stated proudly that “Diversity and inclusion are core values at NSF.”

These statements starkly and alarmingly contrast your recent willingness to carry out billions of dollars of cuts for active and pending grants for critical scientific research. Despite your best efforts, American citizens see through your attempt to trivialize and write-off these cuts because we are the ones who will bear the brunt of the consequences. We also see through these attempts because of the explicitness of Trump's mandate.

On President Donald Trump’s first two days in office, he signed three executive orders (EOs) among many others that specifically aimed to roll back all government-funded programs that promote DEI and to withdraw recognition of transgender (and intersex) people. While The White House states that it is allegedly up to each government agency to decide how to interpret compliance with these orders, lists have been leaked and compiled representing between 250 and 350 words that are reportedly no longer considered acceptable by the Trump administration.

Among those words are “women,” “female,” “trans,” “racial,” "GBV," “diversity,” "DEI," and even words as basic to public health as "vaccines," "safe drinking water" and "science-based." That list continues to grow, and be implemented by both of your institutions -- institutions that have an obligation to promote objective, apolitical scientific research. It is challenging to imagine a more reductive and non-empirical approach to funding decision-making than simply slashing funding for projects based on single words or phrases.

Even though Trump's EOs are currently ALL being challenged in multiple court cases, both the NIH and NSF -- created to protect the health and well being of every American -- have already cut billions of dollars in funding for women's health and other crucial topics under the mandate of these EOs, and clearly plan to pull even more in the wake of ongoing cuts and the most recent announcement from the NIH that it plans to pull medical research funding from universities with DEI programs.​

To be crystal clear: That is BILLIONS of dollars towards researching topics like cancer research, uterine fibroids, preventing intimate partner violence (IPV, also known as domestic violence), COVID-19, gender-affirming care, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, birth outcomes, and so much more. Dr. Bhattacharya, you recently stated that you think President Trump's EOs are “misunderstood.” On the contrary, the public understands them perfectly, and will hold you accountable to protecting our nation's leading scientific institutions from being used as political battlegrounds to our detriment.

This is not about efficiency. This is about throwing women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color aside at the expense of the scientific method and in favor of political clout at a scale that immediately endangers our lives and our children's lives. We implore you to immediately halt funding cuts based simply on words, phrases or the existence of DEI programs under the guise of "free speech" or "more efficient science." You, yourselves, have each spoken to the importance of DEI and to protecting scientific integrity outside of politics. Our entire nation's health is on the line, and history will remember the choice you make.