EDITORIAL: Also, keep America first

March 19--President Donald Trump has said that his general governing principle is, simply, "America First." His budget proposal, however, indicates that the principle does not include adequately funding institutions that already put America first.

Foremost among those is the National Institutes of Health, the global leader in biomedical research. It provides funding for more than 300,000 government and private-sector scientists who identify diseases and devise treatments and cures for them.

Trump's plan would slash NIH funding by 20 percent, or about $5.8 billion.

Presidents and members of Congress of both parties generally have supported NIH budget increases over the years, for good reason. The NIH is crucial for maintaining public health not only in the United States but around the world. And it is a huge driver of the broader U.S. economy, domestically and globally.

Trump himself generally has been considered an advocate of biomedical research, to the extent that a consortium of research organizations approached him soon after his election with a plan for a $3 billion boost in NIH funding.

America first means keeping the NIH first. Trump should reverse course.

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