It was only the size of a beachball, but the impact was a tidal wave.

In 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, and America was caught flat-footed. 

Embarrassed but determined to regain science supremacy, the US poured over a billion dollars into new textbooks and science education. 

In the following decade, we put humans on the moon, and this time, Americans burst with pride. The moon landing was only the beginning – we not only led the world in space exploration, but also in science and medicine.

Fast-forward to 2025. The DOGE guy “took a chainsaw to bureaucracy,” and that included the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world: America’s National Institutes of Health. 

Immediately, 1300 NIH employees were fired. Two billion dollars in research was cancelled, including child cancer research – an inconvenient truth for those who put a child with cancer on display at a joint address to Congress. 

A one dollar limit was placed on research supplies.

Heart disease and stroke have been reduced by 75% over the last forty years, due to research done at NIH.

Do you know someone who relies on insulin or statin drugs? Ninety-nine percent of FDA approved drugs were developed through the NIH.

The chainsaw stopped three to four year clinical trials immediately. All previous years in the studies – wasted. People dependent on the trial medicines? Who cares. 

The NIH is decimated.

An MD scientist at NIH (for now) says morale is grim: “We feel fear.”

Currently, seventy-five percent of American scientists are considering leaving the US. Europe, Australia, and China are thrilled – they’ve already ramped up recruitment. 

Francis Collins, a world-renown geneticist, medical doctor, researcher, and, by the way, an unapologetic person of faith, was until recently the long-time head of the NIH. 

Dr. Collins called the situation “untenable” and retired in February 2025.

It is worth your time to watch this recent “60 Minutes” story featuring Dr. Collins. Regardless of your stance on the chainsaw approach, you need to know.