United States of America

Trump Admin Ends Funding for Gain-of-Function Research

Is this long overdue accountability or a superficial fix that ignores deeper oversight failures?

Published 2 days ago

Trump Admin Ends Funding for Gain-of-Function Research

Story

Above: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 16, 2025. Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Trump narrative

This policy change is long overdue. COVID showed exactly what happens when risky lab experiments go unchecked. The new policy establishes real accountability at every level, from researchers to institutions to funding agencies, replacing a system that was essentially grading its own homework. Taxpayer dollars should never bankroll experiments that could trigger the next pandemic.

MAHA Action on X

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on X The Wall Street Journal

Anti-Trump narrative

Banning GOF research without fixing the oversight system that enabled it misses the point. Past risk assessments excluded known lab accidents, buried flawed methodology in appendices and handed pandemic-level policy decisions to scientific boards with no democratic accountability. Real reform means independent risk analysis, congressional oversight and transparent methodology.

The Bulletin The Washington Post

Narrative C

If conducted safely under strict biosafety and oversight, gain-of-function research helps scientists understand viral evolution, spot dangerous mutations, build animal models and develop vaccines and antivirals before threats emerge. Nature already does uncontrolled GOF, so controlled lab work can prepare society. Blanket bans risk pushing research overseas or leaving the U.S. unprepared.

The Conversation Baker Institute

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.