Federal funding cuts are putting critical breast cancer research at risk—especially studies focused on Black women, who are already 38% more likely to die from the disease than white women. Despite this long-documented disparity, recent policy changes have halted dozens of research grants, including two projects specifically designed to explore breast cancer in Black women.
One of those studies, led by Columbia University epidemiologist Adana Llanos Wilson, was investigating how chronic stress contributes to breast cancer risk in Black women. Her project lost $806,000 in federal support. “Halting these studies doesn’t just slow down science, it stalls progress toward justice,” Wilson said. “When equity-focused science gets defunded, we send a message that some lives matter less, and that is deeply troubling.”
The cuts are part of a broader restructuring under the Trump administration, which has targeted what it calls “radical and wasteful government DEI programs.” As a result, health agencies have been reorganized, thousands of staff dismissed, and numerous equity-focused research efforts defunded.
Linda Alexander, chief academic officer for the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, warned that “the federal funding cuts are going to be, will be, and are devastating to many of our members.”
Alpa Patel of the American Cancer Society added that over 90% of cancer study participants have historically been non-Hispanic white. “You can’t study who is not in your studies,” she said, underscoring the urgent need for inclusive research.
See: “Funding Reductions Threaten Black Women’s Health” (May 9, 2025)