Rep. Don Beyer, who represents Virginia’s 8th district in the U.S. Congress, used his social media account on September 22, 2025, to describe the impact of Trump Administration staffing decisions on a cancer patient’s treatment at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In his first post, Beyer wrote, “Last year, Richard Schlueter received a diagnosis that changed his life: he had metastatic cancer. He had reached out to an NIH team developing a treatment that could save him. But due to mass firings under the Trump Administration, Richard’s clinical trial was at risk. 1/” (September 22, 2025).
In a subsequent tweet posted moments later, Beyer stated, “I pressed the administration to stop these reckless, potentially illegal firings and emphasized their devastating impact on the essential services Americans rely on, including Richard’s treatment. 2/” (September 22, 2025).
He concluded by updating followers on Schlueter’s situation: “Eventually NIH rehired the lab techs and Richard is receiving the care he needs, but the delay almost cost him his eligibility entirely. These are the impacts of the actions of the Trump Administration. I will continue to fight back. 3/3” (September 22, 2025).
Don Beyer has served as U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 8th District since replacing Jim Moran in 2015 and resides in Alexandria. Born in Trieste in 1950 and holding a BA from Williams College since graduating in 1972, Beyer continues to focus legislative attention on healthcare access and government accountability.
