This budget, whether or not it actually passes, represents the values of the current administration, an administration that promised to put America First and to Make America Great Again.

This budget hurts a lot of agencies, but I want to talk about one agency getting hit hard, the National Institutes of Health, which, in my opinion, is a wonder of the modern world. An American wonder.

Full disclosure here. Part of my salary comes from an NIH grant. The other part comes from taking care of veterans at the VA medical center in West Haven, so technically I’m on both the winning and losing side of this budget.

But it struck me, in reading about the response to the NIH cuts, that many people are unaware of just how important this agency is.

First of all, let’s focus on 20%. Is that a big deal? These are government agencies, right? You can always find 20% fat to trim.

Hardly.