Trump administration slashes millions in funding to Springer Nature after its scientific journals endorsed Kamala Harris and allegedly bowed to Chinese Communist Party censorship demands.
Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration has terminated multiple federal contracts with publisher Springer Nature worth millions of dollars due to concerns over political bias and Chinese influence.
- Scientific American, owned by Springer Nature, endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, marking only its second presidential endorsement in history.
- Springer Nature has been accused of censoring content for the Chinese government, including blocking access to academic papers and downplaying the COVID-19 lab-leak theory.
- While some “mission essential” contracts with NIH and cancer research continue, other federal agency subscriptions have been canceled.
- Donald Trump Jr. advocated ending taxpayer funding to the publisher, accusing it of promoting “gender insanity” and “woke” ideology.
Federal Contracts Terminated Over Political and Foreign Influence Concerns
President Trump’s administration has cut off millions in funding to scientific publishing giant Springer Nature, citing concerns over political bias and potential Chinese influence. The publisher, which produces prestigious journals like Nature and Scientific American, had 19 active contracts with federal agencies, including a $5.2 million contract for journal subscriptions. The funding cuts align with the administration’s broader effort to eliminate taxpayer support for organizations promoting partisan political agendas and those potentially compromised by foreign influence operations.
“All contracts with Springer Nature are terminated or no longer active. Precious taxpayer dollars should not be used on unused subscriptions to junk science,” said an HHS spokesperson.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the Department of Justice sent threatening letters to various medical journals, questioning editorial practices and alleging ties to the Chinese government. While contracts deemed “mission essential” with the National Institutes of Health and cancer research programs remain intact, other federal agency subscriptions have been canceled. The administration’s actions represent a significant financial blow to one of the world’s largest scientific publishers.
Chinese Influence and Editorial Controversies
Concerns about Springer Nature’s relationship with China have mounted in recent years. In 2017, the publisher was reported to have blocked access to hundreds of academic papers in China to comply with the Chinese government’s censorship demands. More recently, the publisher faced criticism over its handling of COVID-19 origin theories. Nature Medicine published a report dismissing the lab-leak theory that was later cited in a 2023 congressional report as potentially influenced by Dr. Anthony Fauci, though he denied involvement.
“We are proud of our track record in communicating U.S. research to the rest of the world for over a century and continue to have good relationships with U.S. federal agencies,” a spokesperson for Springer Nature said in response to the funding cuts.
The publisher also came under fire for an unusually high number of retractions, with 2,923 scientific papers withdrawn in 2024 alone. While Retraction Watch noted that most of these papers were published before 2023, the scale of retractions raised questions about the publisher’s quality control processes and peer-review standards. Critics argue these issues point to systemic problems with the publisher’s editorial oversight and potential vulnerability to foreign influence.
“Woke” Editorial Stance Draws Conservative Criticism
Scientific American’s endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election sparked particular outrage among conservatives. This marked only the second presidential endorsement in the magazine’s 175-year history, following its 2020 endorsement of Joe Biden. The publication also faced criticism when its former editor, Laura Helmuth, resigned after making derogatory comments about Trump supporters on social media. Following the George Floyd protests, Springer Nature publicly committed to addressing “systemic racism” in scientific research.
“No more taxpayer money for woke publishers!” Donald Trump Jr. posted on social media, accusing the publisher of having “pushed gender insanity” in its scientific publications.
The Trump administration’s action against Springer Nature signals a broader effort to reshape the relationship between government funding and scientific publishing. By targeting one of the world’s most influential scientific publishers, the administration has demonstrated its willingness to use financial leverage against institutions it perceives as politically biased or subject to foreign influence, regardless of their academic standing or scientific reputation.
