Read stories from Massachusetts and across the country

Washington (May 14, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security, today unveiled a selection of dozens of stories received by his office on Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr.’s first five months. The stories, titled “The Make America Sick Agenda,” contains stories from people who have shared their experiences under the Trump administration’s Health and Human Services, including the impacts of cutting billions in life-saving research into diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer, revoking grants to hospitals and community health centers, and firing staff dedicated to helping families pay their utility bills. All the while, RFK, Jr. spreads misinformation about vaccines amidst an uncontrolled measles outbreak.

“The stories included here are from the voices of people across the country who the Trump administration has betrayed. They are terrified of losing life-saving care. They are angry that their government would treat them this way. And they are frustrated that protecting billionaires is more important to the Administration than ensuring their ability to get the care they need, when they need it, without going into debt,” wrote Senator Markey. “These are the stories of the Trump administration’s Make America Sick Agenda. The American people deserve better.”

Selected excerpts from the compilation:

“My parents were the first generation in their families to go to college and I was a Pell Grant recipient. I am not from an ‘elite’ upbringing. I am a mother, a pediatrician and public health professor have dedicated my career to trying to address the health disadvantages accrued by people in lower income and otherwise socially disadvantaged and stigmatized populations with a specific focus on women and children. One of my NIH grants that sought to understand and improve the experiences in behavioral/mental health care of LGBTQIA+ youth ages 14-17 was terminated. The message sent is that these vulnerable youth do not matter, further making them feel unwelcome in this society. It also has had a chilling effect on my students and staff who are funded through this research, discouraging them from continuing to be part of the workforce trying to understand and make better the care and opportunities for those whom our societal decisions have disadvantaged for reasons that are beyond their control.” - Anonymous, Amherst, MA 

“I have kidney cancer. As an active patient receiving extremely expensive immunotherapy treatment, if I lose my job, I'll also lose health insurance. That is literally a death sentence.” - Joe, Bridgewater, MA 

“I am a stage 4 cancer patient at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and am currently enrolled in a clinical trial there. I have a rare cancer that has no cure and few drugs to treat it. In the past 20 years, clinical trials and research about my cancer have been instrumental in helping people live longer. Cuts to the NIH and cancer research are devastating to cancer patients. Cuts to vaccine research also indirectly affect cancer patients as we are typically immunocompromised and need vaccines and for the population around us to be vaccinated. Anti-vaccine sentiments from HHS and the CDC could be detrimental to cancer patients like myself.” - Jennifer, Shrewsbury, MA

“These drastic cuts aren’t just going to devastate local jobs and people's livelihoods and a generation of scientists. They're rapidly destroying the infrastructure for scientific research in this country, and that's going to have very real effects on the public’s health. The treatment and prevention advances we need for ourselves and our loved ones just won't be there. I cannot overstate how critical it is that we act NOW. The scientific research infrastructure is far easier to break than it will be to rebuild.” - Julia, Newton, MA

“It is a sad commentary, that in a high-income country such as the US, we lagged behind other similar high-income countries in all healthcare indicators and now we are jeopardizing the even further the health of all Americans and our scientific reputation in the world. There is always room for improved organization and being efficient with our taxpayer monies but the restructuring that is taking place is without any reasonable justification based on evidence and thus, lacks in transparency to the American people. The future of all Americans is at risk here and the damage being done to the health of our people and the education system as well as our scientific innovation is devastating. We must push back.” - Anonymous, East Longmeadow, MA

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