Republicans brush aside Trump plan to slash NIH funding

Source: Roll Call

Posted July 28, 2025 at 12:27pm


House Republican appropriators plan to disregard the White House’s proposed 40 percent cut to the National Institutes of Health budget for fiscal 2026, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. Instead, the funding levels being discussed are similar to what’s currently appropriated, they said.

Republicans in the Senate are likely to follow suit, after multiple lawmakers in that chamber emphasized the importance of investing in medical research and expressed skepticism about the proposed cuts. The White House in May proposed the agency receive $27.9 billion, about $18 billion lower than fiscal 2025 enacted levels, and laid out a plan for it to reorganize or combine several of its institutes.

The NIH has enjoyed year-over-year budget increases, until the COVID-19 pandemic put a harsh spotlight on the agency, with lawmakers objecting to its handling of gain-of-function research and allegations of sexual harassment. House and Senate Republicans alike have spent the last couple of years looking at plans to consolidate and reorganize the agency.

But even lawmakers leading those initiatives say a 40 percent cut is too much. “If you want to control long-term health care costs, you’ve got to invest in basic research,” Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., said. “I would authorize more money,” he added. Cassidy is not on the Senate Appropriations Committee, but has spearheaded Senate efforts on reorganizing and modernizing the NIH.

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2025/07/28/republicans-brush-aside-trump-plan-to-slash-nih-funding/