Trump budget plan would cut funding for brain injury research

If the Trump administration's 2026 fiscal budget request is approved by Congress, it would eliminate the Centers for Disease Control department in charge of traumatic brain injury research and education, including the department's $8.25 million in federal funding.

On April 1, the five employees responsible for administering the U.S. government's primary TBI program were placed on paid administrative leave by the CDC.

Dr. Owen Perlman, a board member of the Brain Injury Association of America's board of directors, said the budget cuts would "roll back decades of progress" on TBI research and education.

"For many people with concussions or certainly moderate or severe brain injuries, there's no endpoint," Perlman said. "It's a lifetime problem, and there needs to be lifetime funding for it."

Heads Up, which administers concussion-prevention programs for youth and high-school coaches in 45 states, would be disbanded if the budget proposal is approved. The CDC employees who were put on leave managed the program, whose website says more than 10 million people have taken part in its training programs online.

"We're really worried about the hundreds of thousands of coaches who have to take this training," a CDC official told ESPN. "This is really built in, and we've lost the whole team (behind the program)."

As part of the Trump administration's budget, the National Institutes of Health, which focuses on medical issues including stroke and migraines, would maintain an institute for brain research. It's unknown if any TBI programs would be included.

--Field Level Media