In the early days of Donald Trump’s second term, significant changes at the White House raise alarms among gun violence researchers as federal funding for public health initiatives faces new threats. Experts like Dr. Garen Wintemute from UC Davis prepare for potential upheaval, recalling historical funding restrictions and the chilling effects on scientific research that accompanied previous Trump administration policies.
With the White House’s directive to withdraw from the World Health Organization and to pause external communications from public health agencies, researchers worry about a regression in progress made over the last few years. Federal government agencies had increased funding for gun violence research to over $137 million since 2020, but doubts abound that the current administration’s actions may jeopardize these advancements, shifting the focus back to viewing gun violence strictly as a criminal issue rather than a public health crisis.
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