UC Berkeley workers protest Trump administration’s bid to cut federal research funds

Keith Brown, educator and member of the Alameda Labor Council, addressed a rally on the Cal campus on Feb. 19, 2025. He called President Trump’s proposed NIH cuts “devastating to human lives.” Credit: Reed Yalisove

More than 100 people, many of them academic workers, held a rally on the UC Berkeley campus Wednesday to protest President Trump’s plan to make cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which threaten key funding that universities, including Cal, rely on to conduct scientific research and discovery.

The UC Berkeley event was organized by UAW Local 4811, the union representing 48,000 workers at the University of California, including academic student employees, postdocs and academic researchers. It was part of a national day of action, convened at short notice, with similar demonstrations happening at all the other UC campuses, as well as on the steps of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C., in Seattle and in Philadelphia.

On Feb. 7, the Trump administration implemented a policy that would cut NIH funding to research institutions by over two-thirds. Three days later, a federal judge blocked the cuts, at least for now. The goal of the cuts, according to a Jan. 27 memo from the Office of Management and Budget, is to end “wokeness” — funding for diversity grants could be targeted — and the “weaponization” of government, and promote efficiency in government.

Graduate student researchers, non-student academic workers, such as librarians, and union leaders at Wednesday’s midday rally, held at at Cal’s West Crescent Lawn, took the mic to emphasize what they said would be devastating consequences of the cuts, including stripping universities of critical funding used for facilities, maintenance, libraries, janitorial services and academic support. The NIH indicated that it would reduce the “indirect cost rates” that universities receive from the agency to 15%, nearly half the average rate that research campuses currently get.  

The University of California received more than $2 billion for research in 2023-24 from the NIH and $2.6 billion in the last academic year.  

Tanzil Chowdhury, 27, a PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at UC Berkeley and statewide Academic Student Employee chair for UAW 4811, said the event was organized on short notice as part of a broader academic labor movement. “Coalitions of academic workers all over the country called for a national day of action today to oppose the radical cuts to science funding,” Chowdhury said. “This was a fast-moving response — these NIH cuts were only announced two weeks ago, and we knew we had to act immediately.”

This funding also supports university infrastructure, like libraries and campus services. When you cut that, you’re harming not just researchers but everyone in public higher education.

MAX GREENE, UC BERKELEY GRADUATE STUDENT

For many researchers, the NIH cuts are just the beginning of a broader attack on publicly funded science. “The NIH is the biggest funder of research in the country,” Chowdhury continued. “If this goes through, it sets a precedent for agencies like the NSF [National Science Foundation]  and Department of Energy to follow. We wouldn’t be surprised if they’re next.”

Max Greene, 28 and Reem Almagati, 31, both graduate student researchers in the department of Vision Science, also attended the rally. “The NIH overhead cut is going to be detrimental for scientific research that addresses debilitating diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s,” Greene said. “But beyond that, this funding also supports university infrastructure, like libraries and campus services. When you cut that, you’re harming not just researchers but everyone in public higher education.” 

Greene also emphasized the ripple effects the cuts could have on the university overall. “If the university’s revenue is reduced through this indirect cost cut, I would imagine they would look for places where they might be able to save money,” he said. 

Library resources could also be threatened

Vincent Guacci, senior scientist at UC Berkeley’s Molecular and Cell Biology Department holds up a sign at the rally to protest planned cuts to the NIH. Credit: Meg Tanaka

Librarians and educators also joined the protest in solidarity. Tim Vollmer, a librarian at UC Berkeley’s Doe Library, said the NIH cuts would weaken library services. “These drastic cuts would slash the collections and resources that power research at UC Berkeley,” he said. “That means less access to journal articles, data, books — everything researchers need to conduct their work.”

Cuts to university funding also affect lecturers, graduate student instructors, and others who teach thousands of Berkeley students, Vollmer argued, leading to larger class sizes and even more pressure on already overloaded academic workers. “We are strongest when we stand together,” he said. “Let’s fight to protect academic freedom and stop the dangerous practice of censoring scientific research.”

Other speakers at the rally highlighted the potential economic and social consequences of the cuts. Keith Brown, educator and member of the Alameda Labor Council, called the cuts “devastating to human lives.” He warned that delays in funding would slow down crucial medical advancements. “Publicly funded research ensures that life-saving treatments are available to everyone, not just the wealthy,” he said. “These cuts mean thousands of layoffs and economic devastation for our communities. We cannot allow that to happen.”

Organizers emphasized that this was only the beginning of their fight. Chowdhury outlined the union’ next steps: “We’re preparing for our contract renegotiations in July, so we’re training members to organize and mobilize. We’ll keep sharing our stories, calling legislators, and demanding that public research remains fully funded.”

Publicly funded research ensures that life-saving treatments are available to everyone, not just the wealthy.

Keith brown, educator and member of the alameda labor council

Almagati echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of collective action. “When we come together as a union, there’s always that sense of talking through things, figuring things out and easing each other’s anxieties. There are a lot of researchers or postdocs that are very anxious about losing their jobs.”

As academic workers continue their organizing efforts, they hope to pressure federal lawmakers to take a stronger stand against the cuts, as well as inform the public about the work that they do, and get more people involved. “Because this is such a complex topic, the folks in Congress that we spoke to didn’t immediately understand the gravity of the moment,” Chowdhury said. “We’re hoping for more people to speak up, including folks in red states. He also noted that he would like to see the university do more, and “come out in full defense of its public mission, which is to do research and serve the public.”

In a response to our request for comment, the University of California (UC) Office of the President referred to its Feb. 10 press release outlining its support for the California Attorney General’s suit against the federal government in response to the NIH’s new guidance. IN the statement, UC President Michael Drake described the cuts as “nothing short of catastrophic,” citing their potential to disrupt vital biomedical research and healthcare advancements. Theresa Maldonado, UC Vice President for Research and Innovation, warned that the cuts could “threaten American lives” and “cripple our innovative knowledge-based economy.” 

Meg Tanaka is a  graduate student at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism.