Reps Cleaver and Davids demand NIH explain pauses to pediatric brain tumor grants

U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri and Sharice Davids of Kansas asked the National Institutes of Health on May 21 to explain why federal support for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium was halted. Their letter to Anthony Letai, director of the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research, said the consortium’s funding ended in March 2026 and asked whether the agency would reconsider. The lawmakers said the consortium plays a distinct role in early-stage clinical trials for children with brain tumors. Their intervention adds a congressional demand for detail to a funding dispute that has been building since the National Cancer Institute said last year it would not renew the program. ### Which program are Cleaver and Davids asking about? The Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium is the oldest pediatric cancer research network in the United States, according to Cleaver and Davids’ press release, and includes 15 hospitals and research centers nationwide. The group oversees early-stage clinical trials focused on pediatric brain cancer, the lawmakers said. A National Institutes of Health project page describes PBTC as a multi-institutional consortium devoted to phase 1 and phase 2 evaluations of experimental treatments for pediatric central nervous system tumors. (cleaver.house.gov) An NIH RePORTER entry shows the consortium was already in closeout mode as of data dated Nov. 18, 2025. That page says all PBTC studies were closed to accrual, though some patients were still receiving study treatment, with data collection, analysis, archiving and trial transfers continuing. ### What exactly are the lawmakers asking NIH to explain? The May 21 letter asks NCI for the reasoning behind ending PBTC funding in March 2026. (cleaver.house.gov) The lawmakers also ask whether, given the fiscal 2026 appropriations increase referenced in their letter, NCI would reconsider the decision. The same letter asks whether NCI plans to release any funding opportunities specifically targeted to pediatric brain cancer activities and, if so, when the brain cancer community should expect details. (reporter.nih.gov) Cleaver said in the accompanying release that “brain cancer is the deadliest type of cancer among American children,” while Davids said families should not have to worry that “critical research and clinical trials will disappear.” (cleaver.house.gov) ### What reason has NCI previously given for ending support? In August 2025, the National Cancer Institute said PBTC would not be able to apply for another five-year award beyond March 2026, according to reporting by Fierce Biotech that cited a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson. The spokesperson said pediatric drug development and brain tumor research had changed and that NCI believed its resources could be used more effectively by expanding support for the Children’s Oncology Group Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network, known as PEP-CTN. (cleaver.house.gov) That same account said NCI expected to work with PBTC and PEP-CTN to complete ongoing trials and said it did “not anticipate any funding gap for pediatric brain tumor research.” NIH’s own project record says select trials were being transferred to PEP-CTN as part of closeout activities. ### Why has the pause drawn concern from researchers and advocates? (fiercebiotech.com) PBS reported in September 2025 that brain tumors are the leading cause of pediatric cancer-related death and that the PBTC had paused enrollment in ongoing clinical trials. In that interview, Stanford neurologist and PBTC co-investigator Paul Graham Fisher said no new entries could be made on those trials. (fiercebiotech.com) Brain tumor advocacy groups said in an August 2025 joint statement that they were seeking answers about how the decision would affect research and new therapy development. The groups said they wanted preservation of data and continued capacity for researchers and clinicians to collaborate and fund early-phase clinical trials in pediatric brain tumors. (pbs.org) ### How does this fit into the broader oncology funding debate? Targeted Oncology reported on May 18 that NIH funding disruptions are reverberating across cancer research, with effects on trial pipelines, early detection work and new therapies. The publication described oncology as facing downstream consequences for both research programs and patient care as federal funding becomes less predictable. (braintumor.org) The Cleaver-Davids letter does not ask Congress to pass new legislation. Instead, it seeks a written explanation from NCI and asks whether the agency will reopen or replace pediatric brain tumor-specific funding. The next concrete step is NIH’s response to Anthony Letai’s May 21 letter, which specifically asks whether new pediatric brain cancer opportunities will be announced and when. (cleaver.house.gov) (targetedonc.com)