‘No kings, just vaccines!’: demonstrators gather at NIH headquarters to protest against cuts to medical research

The Guardian US News
by Melody Schreiber in Bethesda, Maryland
March 28, 2026
3 min read

Quick Insights

The Bottom Line

About 1,000 protesters rallied against the Trump administration's proposed 20% cut to the National Institutes of Health and medical research funding.

How This Affects You

Medical research funding cuts could delay development of new treatments and cures, affecting future healthcare options and potentially raising costs for patients relying on emerging therapies.

AI Summary

About 1,000 protesters gathered outside NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday to oppose Trump administration healthcare policies and cuts to medical research funding. The demonstration coincided with nationwide "No Kings" protests and was specifically directed at HHS leadership under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reflecting frustration over terminated grants and what organizers characterized as ideologically driven research defunding. The White House is preparing to propose a 20% budget cut to the NIH, following mass layoffs across federal health agencies over the past year and previous terminations of grants focused on gender and race-related research. The rally reflects growing tension between the research community and the Trump administration over the direction of federal science funding and healthcare policy priorities.

What's Being Done

The White House is preparing to propose a 20% budget cut to the NIH following previous terminations of grants focused on gender and race-related research.

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