As a person with a long career in academic medicine and having served as Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, I have seen firsthand how crucial integrity is in government decision-making – especially regarding our nation’s health. Yet in his final days in office, President Joe Biden granted unconditional pardons to close associates and family members and re-allocated a sizable federal health grant, endangering the welfare of our populous.
On January 16, 2025, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), during the closing days of President Biden‘s watch, took an $89 billion, 25-year grant away from the Frederick National Laboratory in Maryland—a proven, innovative research facility—and awarded it to the Alliance for Advancing Biomedical Research, an entity affiliated with the University of California. This sudden decision jeopardizes the essential work of nearly 2,000 dedicated professionals in Frederick, who have a proven track record in cancer, AIDS, and infectious disease research.
Why direct such a massive long-term grant from a highly effective institution to one with a lesser track record? The troubling answer is simple cronyism. The University of California is intimately linked to high-profile California politicians, some of whom are eyeing future political positions upon exiting the Biden administration. This last-minute maneuver looks like an attempt to reward political allies, and it could hamper the incoming administration’s ability to make well-informed decisions based on solid evidence.
Consider the key players: until January 20, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NCI, was headed by Secretary Javier Becerra, California’s former attorney general. He has long championed the University of California system and may be weighing a 2026 gubernatorial run. Former Vice President Kamala Harris, also reportedly considering a gubernatorial bid, is a graduate of the UC law school system. These are only two of the many figures who could benefit from this massive last-minute shuffling of cash and power.
Naturally, these deep ties to the Democratic Party were never mentioned as the impetus for relocating this vital grant. Instead, the justification offered was a jargon-filled statement, lacking any concrete proof or transparent data – a textbook example of how bureaucratic language can obscure inconvenient truths. George Orwell best articulated this in his essay “Politics and the English Language,” stating, “A mass of Latin words falls upon the facts like soft snow, blurring the outlines and covering up all the details.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated by President Trump to succeed Becerra, has promised to tackle conflict of interest in healthcare head-on. Given the obvious favoritism behind this sudden grant shift, one of his first actions should be to suspend or revoke the award pending a rigorous and transparent review of its merits.
In the end, Americans voted to move beyond the Biden–Harris–Becerra administration on November 5. Allowing its last-minute policies – rooted in cronyism and disregard for public welfare – to linger would undermine democracy and public health. We need greater transparency and a commitment to ensuring that lifesaving research funding is allocated based on results, not on political connections. This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is an American issue that deals with effective government.
It’s imperative that the Trump administration illuminates these questionable decisions and continues the effort to restore public trust by ensuring that our nation’s medical research investments serve the people—not political insiders.
Dr. Ben Carson is the Founder of the American Cornerstone Institute. He was the 17th Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member