ABSTRACT
The US federal government has enacted sweeping policy changes since January 2025 that imperil public health, with important implications for the eating disorders field—a field that is already disproportionately under-resourced. This paper examines the pathways through which these recent policy changes threaten progress in eating disorder research, treatment, and prevention, and calls for a coordinated response. We identify three interconnected areas of concern: (1) the threats to the scientific enterprise, including terminated eating disorder grants, the purging of public health data, and disruptions to the research training pipeline; (2) the erosion of healthcare access, including bans on gender-affirming care and slashed funding for government programs such as Medicaid; and (3) the dismantling of structural protections and equity infrastructure, including reducing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program budget and the systematic dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These domestic crises are further compounded by global consequences resulting from the US retreat from international research and health investments, with direct implications for eating disorder science and care worldwide. We call on the eating disorders field to respond with coordinated advocacy, cross-national collaboration, and sustained commitment to protecting the infrastructures on which equitable progress depends.