In a move that has left the pediatric cancer community reeling, a crucial $190 million funding package for childhood cancer research was stripped from a bipartisan spending bill after a late-night social media post from Elon Musk sparked Republican opposition. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Program, a vital initiative that has been supporting childhood cancer research since 2014, was set to receive this funding through 2033.
The original bipartisan spending bill, carefully crafted over months of negotiations, included critical extensions to several pediatric health programs. House Speaker Mike Johnson had initially supported the comprehensive 1,500-page bill, which would have maintained funding for groundbreaking research into childhood cancers and birth defects. The program’s track record speaks for itself, as it has already contributed to the development of 65 new drugs for pediatric cancer patients, offering hope to thousands of families facing devastating diagnoses.
What happened next would be almost comical if it weren’t so serious. At 4:15 AM on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Musk, apparently suffering from a bout of late-night fiscal conservatism, decided to voice his opposition to the bill on X. By Wednesday night, Republicans had dropped to their knees and asked their tech guru for forgiveness, withdrawing their support and presenting a stripped-down 116-page version that eliminated nearly all the pediatric health initiatives.
Why do Elon Musk and Donald Trump want children with cancer to suffer?
The revised bill’s failure has effectively eliminated funding for several crucial programs, including the Give Kids a Chance Act, which supported FDA authorization of combination cancer treatments, and the Accelerating Kids to Research Act, which helped children access specialized care across state lines. To put this in perspective, only 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget currently goes to pediatric initiatives – and now, even that modest allocation faces cuts.
The pediatric cancer community, which has spent over 15 years building these initiatives, has been left devastated. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent real children waiting for new treatments, families hoping for breakthroughs, and researchers working tirelessly to save young lives. While the Senate eventually voted to renew the Gabriella Miller Kids First Act separately, the allocated amount—$12.6 million annually through 2031—represents a fraction of the original $190 million proposal.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn’t mince words when he criticized the prioritization of tax cuts over children’s cancer research, saying, “Republicans would rather cut taxes for billionaire donors than fund research for children with cancer.” Meanwhile, Senator Patty Murray declared she would stay through Christmas to fight against the cuts. As Murray explains, “Put simply, we should not let an unelected billionaire rip away research for pediatric cancer so he can get a tax cut.” One has to wonder if Santa’s naughty list has room for all the representatives who voted against the original funding.
Musk’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) played a significant role in this debacle, actively campaigning against the original budget and coordinating with Donald Trump’s team to pressure Republicans. The irony of a government efficiency department effectively reducing efficiency in pediatric cancer research development might be lost on some, but it certainly isn’t lost on the medical community or the families affected by these cuts. While children with cancer and their families wait for potentially life-saving research and treatments, their futures have become pawns in a political game played out on social media at 4 AM.
Did Trump and Elon Musk seriously just take $190 million away from pediatric cancer research?
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