The United States remains committed to advancing scientific innovation that improves the health, safety, and well-being of the American people. But scientific progress must never come at the expense of public safety or national security.
That’s why President Donald Trump released the United States Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research. This policy stops dangerous gain-of-function research that has the potential to threaten lives, disrupt communities, strain public health systems, and undermine America’s economic and national security if not properly restricted and controlled.
The new policy establishes a framework that prohibits federal support for dangerous gain-of-function research, strengthens oversight of other high-risk life sciences research, and restricts funding for research conducted in countries that lack appropriate safety, security, and oversight standards.
The United States will continue to support biomedical research that develops vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other lifesaving medical countermeasures while ensuring that the highest-risk research is subject to rigorous safeguards.
“The federal government has a duty to protect the American people, not fund research that could put them at risk,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We are ending federal support for dangerous gain-of-function research and replacing weak oversight with clear, enforceable safeguards. This policy delivers on President Trump’s commitment to put safety first while ensuring America remains the global leader in ethical, responsible, and lifesaving biomedical research.”
Specifically, the new policy replaces previous federal oversight frameworks with a unified, risk-based approach focused on the potential consequences of research rather than a limited list of pathogens. It establishes clear responsibilities for researchers, research institutions, and federal agencies to identify, assess, and manage the highest-risk life sciences research before taxpayer dollars are awarded.
“This policy reflects a fundamental principle of science: the pursuit of knowledge must be matched by a commitment to responsibility,” said National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. “The overwhelming majority of biomedical research provides enormous benefits to society, and this framework helps ensure that research with the potential to create extraordinary biological risks receives the highest level of scrutiny. It protects scientific innovation while strengthening public trust that federally supported research is conducted safely, transparently, and in the best interests of the American people.”
The United States is also calling on international partners to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity standards and join the effort to end dangerous gain-of-function research that could threaten global health and security. By establishing clear guardrails for federally supported research, the new policy reinforces America's leadership in responsible science while protecting the health, safety, and security of future generations.