Congress pushes back on NIH cuts
Republican lawmakers in Congress are resisting proposed cuts to NIH funding, arguing grants support jobs and local economies across red and blue states. The pushback surfaced as part of a broader fight over the administration’s efforts to shrink biomedical research budgets and preserve federally funded research capacity. (politico.com)
Republican lawmakers are rejecting another White House push to cut National Institutes of Health funding, setting up a new budget fight over medical research. (politico.com) White House budget director Russ Vought released a proposal last week to cut the National Institutes of Health by 10 percent for fiscal year 2027. That followed a much larger 40 percent cut the administration sought last year. (politico.com) Congress already rejected the earlier plan in the spending bill President Donald Trump signed on February 3, 2026. That law gave the National Institutes of Health a $415 million increase, bringing the agency to $48.7 billion for fiscal year 2026. (congress.gov) (politico.com) The National Institutes of Health funds biomedical research, meaning studies on diseases, drugs, and treatments, mostly through grants to universities, hospitals, and labs. Lawmakers in both parties defend that money because it pays for research jobs, clinical trials, and campus projects in their states. (politico.com) Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, called the proposed cuts “unwarranted.” Alabama Republican Katie Britt also spoke publicly last year about the threat to universities in her state. (politico.com) At a House hearing on March 17, 2026, lawmakers from both parties told National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya to spend the money Congress had already provided. Bhattacharya said, “My job is to make sure every single dollar goes out,” and said it would be spent by the end of the year on “excellent science.” (politico.com) That hearing came after a year of canceled grants, staffing cuts, office restructurings, and slower grantmaking tied to the administration’s broader effort to shrink federal agencies. Research advocates told Axios on April 2 that the agency was still dealing with those disruptions even after Congress preserved most of its budget. (axios.com) (politico.com) The next test is the fiscal year 2027 budget request, which Politico reported the White House was preparing this month. Congress controls appropriations, and lawmakers in both parties have already signaled they do not want another round of deep National Institutes of Health cuts. (politico.com 1) (politico.com 2)
