Shaughnessy Naughton: How [Not] To Make America Great
By Shaughnessy Naughton
When I think about what makes America great, beyond our founding principle of “all men are created equal”, I think of our role as a world leader in health and education.
As Americans we should be truly proud of the investments we have made in both that have led us to where we are today. Our advancements in science have led to healthier, longer lives; cures and treatments to previously lethal diseases, like measles; and even the creation of lives through IVF. It has made us the envy of the world and why our researchers have won more Nobel prizes than any other nation.
Our willingness as Americans to invest in basic research, education and enabling our research institutions to parlay those investments into medical breakthroughs has improved every aspect of our society and beyond. It’s the result of the conscious decision to invest in the whole pipeline, education from pre-K through postgraduate, knowing that we don’t get results by luck alone.
Since 1980, when the Bayh-Dole Act was passed into law, government, industry and academia have been able to cooperate and commercialize federally funded research, resulting in an explosion of health and wealth benefits for the American people.
Take CRISPR, a gene editing technology. Originally discovered in a university laboratory, it is now being studied for use as a treatment for rare and common diseases, like sickle-cell anemia and currently incurable cancers. This would not be possible without federal funding.
Which is why it is so troubling to see the dismantling and defunding of programs that have delivered proven results.
Elon Musk and his DOGE team have gleefully taken an indiscriminate and counterproductive approach to slashing the size of government, imperiling not just global health but Americans right here at home. Cuts have targeted local public health departments that oversee disease surveillance and prevention, all while a measles outbreak has resulted in 2 unvaccinated children dying in Texas.
The DOGE team is currently slashing its way through the nation’s premier health research organizations, National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), firing thousands of scientists, halting clinical trials and research projects. This has left patients and veterans awaiting experimental treatments with few options and worse—little hope.
The ripple effects continue as universities can only offer fewer post-graduate educational opportunities. There is no doubt that this will haunt us long into the future. All while China continues to commit more annually to its research and development budget.
We don’t make these investments for science’s sake, we make them because the promise of science is for our future. No place is that more visible than in health care and public health.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a long history of profiteering off of misinformation and disinformation, particularly around the connection of childhood vaccines and autism, even at the expense of innocent lives. So, it should come as no surprise that he has promised to find the cause of the “autism epidemic” by September, leading many to question the veracity of the research he is referencing especially as he’s rejected previous studies that disprove his anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
While I commend him for using his position to advocate for healthier lifestyles for Americans, good nutrition does not stop the spread of infectious diseases. He recently revealed he didn’t know that $11 billion in cuts had been made to infectious disease programs, addiction treatment, mental health and childhood vaccination programs, implausibly stating the cuts were just to DEI programs. This is not just an unserious statement, it is a danger to American health.
As taxpayers we should demand accountability and efficiency. But we should also recognize when short-sighted political recklessness is harming our future.
Please join me in calling on Congress to stand up to President Trump and Elon Musk and stop the dangerous cuts that are a threat to America’s excellence and health.
Shaughnessy Naughton is the President and Founder of 314 Action, the largest national organization dedicated to recruiting, training, and electing STEM candidates.
