Trump Administration’s Budget Proposal Threatens Traumatic Brain Injury Research
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the sports and medical communities, the Trump administration’s 2026 fiscal budget request to Congress proposes eliminating major federal funding for traumatic brain injury (TBI) research and education. This decision could have significant repercussions, particularly for addressing head injuries in sports at the high school and youth levels.
The proposed budget, released on Friday, includes plans to cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) umbrella agency responsible for TBI research. This includes the $8.25 million earmarked for brain injury research and public education about the dangers of concussions. The CDC is facing a staggering $3.59 billion in budget cuts.
While the president proposes the federal budget, it is ultimately up to Congress to approve a final budget bill. This means there is still a chance for the TBI program to be restored or moved to a different agency. However, the White House has not responded to ESPN’s request for comment on this matter.
The timing of this proposal is particularly concerning, as it comes on the heels of the CDC placing all five staffers devoted to administering the government’s main traumatic brain injury program on paid administrative leave as of April 1. This information was shared with ESPN by CDC employees.
Dr. Owen Perlman, a brain injury specialist and board member of the Brain Injury Association of America, expressed grave concerns, stating that the budget cuts would “roll back decades of progress.”
Impact on Youth Sports Programs
One of the programs targeted by these cuts is Heads Up, a concussion-prevention initiative for youth and high school coaches, athletic trainers, and other sports officials. According to a CDC official, who requested anonymity, 45 states participate in the program to varying degrees.
Staffers interviewed by ESPN declined to speak on the record due to fears of administration retribution. However, they did express significant concern about the impact on the hundreds of thousands of coaches who rely on this training. “This is really built in, and we’ve lost the whole team” behind the program, the CDC official said.
- Heads Up training is part of state compliance requirements for coaches and other sports officials.
- The Heads Up website reports that more than 10 million people have participated in its online training programs.
With the federal program shutting down, the CDC official noted that they are receiving hundreds of email queries each week asking how to comply with state requirements.
Legislative and Research Implications
Congress first approved TBI research funding in 1996, but legislation to keep the program going expired at the end of 2024. A House bill to renew it has yet to advance out of committee.
In a 2018 CDC survey, 12% of adult respondents reported experiencing a head injury in the previous 12 months, including but not limited to sports-related activities. A follow-up study was being prepared when the staffers were placed on leave. This research data was part of a program to measure TBI prevalence and boost prevention, care, and recovery efforts.
Despite the Heads Up website remaining active, a laid-off CDC employee warned that the public might not feel the impact immediately. “But when those websites, trainings, and materials get pulled down or when they can’t be updated, I think that’s when the public will feel it,” the employee said.
In the proposed White House budget, the National Institutes of Health would retain an institute devoted to overall brain research, although the name would slightly change. The institute focuses on medical issues such as stroke and migraines, and it’s unclear whether TBI programs would be absorbed into it.
Hospitals and universities conducting TBI research funded by the CDC are bracing for potential funding cutbacks. Christine Baugh, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine, expressed concern about the future of her research on how parents decide whether to let their children play contact sports and whether brain-injury awareness campaigns influence their decisions.
Concerns from the Medical Community
On April 23, the National Academy of Sciences received orders to cancel work on two TBI workshops, one of which analyzed the risks of repeated head impacts on children. Both workshops had already been held. Dr. Fred Rivara, a pediatrics professor at the University of Washington, told ESPN that the cancellation affected funding for publishing the information, calling the potential cuts “tragic.”
“That’s a perfect example of how this change in, or devastation of, funding at the CDC is impacting people,” Rivara said. “They want to know, for sports: What about these repetitive impacts? Are they bad for kids? It’s a perfect example of the impact of this.”
Dr. Perlman emphasized the lifelong repercussions of traumatic brain injuries on a person’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral health. Even though some states fund TBI-treatment programs independently of the federal government, concerns are growing about a domino effect if Congress fails to renew funding.
“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.”
Originally Written by: Michael Rothstein
