• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

Trump Administration Proposes $8 Million Cut to Brain Injury Research

The proposed cuts are part of billions in reduced funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Trump Administration is pushing to slash federal funding for concussion research.

The administration’s 2026 fiscal budget request to Congress, released Friday, proposes cutting $8.25 million reserved for brain injury research and public education on concussions.

The proposal is part of nearly $3.6 billion in cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“For many people with concussions or certainly moderate or severe brain injuries, there’s no endpoint,” Dr. Owen Perlman, a brain injury specialist and board member of the Brain Injury Association of America, told ESPN. “It’s a lifetime problem, and there needs to be lifetime funding for it.”

Just days after the proposed cuts, Trump announced that Washington will host the 2027 NFL Draft, flanked by league commissioner Roger Goodell.

After years of fighting players and insurance companies about costs incurred by concussions, the league in recent years has changed rules to reduce head injuries, among other reforms.

But while the NFL is the poster child, concussions are all over sports. Major League Baseball has modified helmets to protect players; there is a growing body of research into head injuries in soccer. On Monday, Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz left an NHL playoff game on a stretcher due to a concussion

On April 1, the CDC put the five staffers devoted to running the agency’s traumatic brain injury research on paid administrative leave.

The cuts are merely the Trump Administration’s proposal and still need to be negotiated with Congress.

While Trump can propose a federal budget, it falls on Congress to approve it. The TBI program could still see its funding return or be transferred to a different agency. 

A pause in federal funding would disrupt many brain injury programs throughout the country and would directly impact brain injury survivors and the healthcare professionals providing treatment and support,” Rick Willis, president and CEO of BIAA, said in January. “Survivors of brain injury face so many obstacles in their day-to-day life and many require ongoing support and services. Suddenly stopping programs that many of them rely on is inexcusable, especially with no warning.”

The proposal includes the National Institutes of Health retaining a sector focused on brain research, but its current institute centers around strokes and migraines, which makes it unclear whether TBI programs would become a part of it. 

Part of the White House’s proposed cuts is Heads Up, a concussion-prevention program that educates youth and high school coaches and officials. The same CDC staffers who were put on administrative leave were in charge of the program, which has participation from 45 states and more than 10 million participants, according to its website. 

TBI research was first approved by Congress in 1996. The legislation to extend it expired at the end of 2024, and a bill to continue it has yet to advance out of the House.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late Drama

A decisive final vote on the stadium followed some last-minute snags.
Donald Trump
exclusive

Trump’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Visit Cost Secret Service More Than $120K

Trump was the first president to attend the Super Bowl.

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.
Maria Taylor

Maria Taylor Talks About ‘Moving Differently’ in ESPN-NBC Jump

Taylor will be NBC Sports’ lead NBA and WNBA studio host.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.

Trump Push to End Quarterly Earnings Has Major Sports Ramifications

U.S. President Trump proposes moving to semi-annual reporting for public companies.
Michelle Wu
September 12, 2025

Josh Kraft, Son of Patriots Owner, Leaves Boston Mayor Race After First-Round..

He challenged Mayor Wu over her support for White Stadium’s costly renovations.
September 12, 2025

NFL, Yankees, Cubs Hold Moments of Silence for Charlie Kirk

The Green Bay moment was an NFL decision, a spokesperson told FOS.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
exclusive
September 10, 2025

Zohran Mamdani Blasts World Cup Ticket Prices: ‘FIFA Is Becoming the Scalper’

The NYC mayoral candidate wants FIFA to cap resale prices at face value.
Connecticut Sun
September 8, 2025

Connecticut Senators Rip WNBA Handling of Sun Sale

The Senators are urging the league to stay out of the negotiations.
Donald Trump
September 6, 2025

Donald Trump Attending US Open As Rolex Guest

USTA asked broadcasters not to show “disruptions or reactions” to Trump’s attendance.
Jul 13, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; FIFA president Gianni Infantino and President Donald Trump carry the FIFA Club World Cup trophy during the presentation after the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium.
August 7, 2025

Swiss Politicians Want FIFA Chief to Lobby Trump for Tariff Relief

Could Infantino be a backchannel to Trump?