Trump Adds $50M to Pediatric Cancer AI

President Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 30 directing an additional $50 million to harness artificial intelligence for pediatric cancer research, which the administration said doubles federal investment in the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative launched in 2019. The order assigns the Make America Healthy Again Commission, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and NIH/NCI to deploy AI across the CCDI data ecosystem to improve diagnoses, design clinical trials, predict treatment responses, refine therapies, accelerate discovery, and strengthen prevention. OSTP Director Michael Kratsios, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya were named as administration leads and said the funds will support competitive research grants, AI-driven tools, data-infrastructure improvements, and an upcoming open scientific competition, with NIH soon to announce calls for proposals. Administration officials said families will retain control over children’s health data, and the signing took place in the Oval Office with childhood cancer patients and survivors present. Officials cited rising pediatric cancer rates and roughly 9,500 U.S. cases expected this year, and the administration has not disclosed which AI companies or teams will receive contracts.