Science supporters rally in Gallup to protest Trump research cuts

Posted by Nicholas House | Mar 13, 2025 | News |

By Nicholas House
Navajo Times

GALLUP – Community members rallied here Friday evening against the Trump Administration’s sweeping cuts to research funding and federal agencies tasked with advancing science.

Navajo Times | Nicholas House
Trump supporters counterprotest a “Stand Up for Science” rally in Gallup on March 13. The group members say they support Trump and his policies and administration.

The “Stand Up for Science” rally at the northeastern corner of Boardman and College Drive brought together people who benefitted from medical advances. The nationwide Stand Up for Science is a rally to protest the Trump Administration’s drastic cuts to the federal workforce and federally funded science.

Brenda Hoskie, the chair of the McKinley County Democratic Party, asked, “How can we be sovereign when we are sick?”

Feeling under attack

Demonstrators – from different fields and career stages – said federal job and funding cuts negatively affect science, medicine, and universities. Because the Trump Administration has slashed jobs at science agencies and attempted to block grants and reduce funding for research institutions, demonstrators on Friday said they believe they’re under attack and believe that scientific progress in the U.S. may be threatened.

“I’m out here wanting to really support our federal workers,” said Kris Pikaart, the behavior health director at Gallup Community Health. “There’s a lot of them in this town (Gallup).

“All of our coworkers at IHS, at the VA, and much more (federal workers) in town.”

Staffing concerns and budget restrictions have left many questioning whether they will be able to continue providing essential services to communities in need. Demonstrators emphasized the importance of retaining experienced health care workers in rural and underserved areas, where losing even a small number of providers can significantly impact patient care.

Navajo Times | Nicholas House
McKinley County health care workers, patients, and advocates rally in support of the nationwide “Stand Up for Science” in Gallup on March 13.

Local hospitals, including Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital and Gallup Indian Medical Center, depend heavily on Medicaid reimbursements.

“Medicaid cuts will be disastrous, both to our health care center and to, RMCH and GIMC, so I feel really nervous about that,” Pikaart said. “We (McKinley County) cannot afford to lose any ground on those public health measures that have really grown over the years.”

To read the full article, please see the March 13, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.

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