At NIH, ‘everyone is on edge’ as they brace for cuts and reorganization

With the National Institutes of Health facing deep workforce cuts  and little information from agency leadership about how those cuts will be made, scientists, administrators, and other employees at the nation’s premier funder of biomedical research were left reeling, afraid and confused on Friday. 

“Nobody feels like their job is safe. Everyone is on edge,” said Kim Hasenkrug, an NIH scientist emeritus with knowledge of ongoing activities at Rocky Mountain Laboratories. “They’re trying to hide these numbers. Even the top people can’t keep track because they’re hiring and firing so much. Direct supervisors of those who were terminated didn’t even know that it was happening.”

The pending cuts add to what has already been two months of stress, uncertainty, shifting policies around funding, communications and travel, firings and, in some cases, rehirings — all before President Trump’s nominee for NIH commissioner, Jay Bhattacharya, has been confirmed by the Senate.