Senate Budget Committee Rejects NIH Funding Cuts

The Senate Budget Committee recently dismissed the Trump administration’s substantial proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and instead opted to increase the agency’s budget by $400 million.

The White House’s budget proposal included an $18 billion reduction for NIH, which accounted for a 40% decrease. Instead, the committee took a firm stance, advancing the bill with a vote of 26-3 while highlighting a bipartisan commitment to safeguarding medical research.

“This committee has conducted several hearings over the past months and listened to patients, families, and researchers about the critical need for NIH funding,” remarked Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). “We’ve prioritized research that aims to develop life-saving treatments for severe health issues through a collaborative effort.”

The committee also rejected the administration’s suggestions for overhauling how NIH compensates universities and medical schools, as well as proposals to consolidate the 27 NIH institutions into just eight new entities.

The new bill proposes an additional $100 million for Alzheimer’s research, a $150 million boost for cancer research, and a $30 million increase for the Women’s Health Research Bureau.

“I find myself wondering if the NIH will still be around by the end of this administration. The clear message from this committee is that it will be,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee’s vice-chair.

“Congress stands firmly behind these initiatives. We won’t back down from the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s, or rare diseases,” she stated.

Democratic committee members expressed their dissatisfaction regarding ongoing intrusions by the White House Management and Budget Office (OMB) into the spending process, particularly attempts to stop previously approved expenditures.

Since President Trump assumed office, nearly 5,000 NIH awards, which amount to $4 billion, have been either closed or frozen; around $15 billion remains unallocated.

“They are, quite frankly, hiding allocation data illegally, making it difficult to track if the passed funds are genuinely being utilized to strengthen our bill,” Murray said. “It’s absurd to fine-tune the bill when we are kept in the dark.”

Murray and members frequently referred to an OMB memo from earlier in the week that abruptly halted NIH from issuing grants through footnotes. While this decision was later reversed, Democrats argued it showcased the administration’s disregard for Congressional authority over spending.

“A footnote from unaccountable officials shouldn’t obstruct Congress and NIH from accessing $15 billion in funding for essential research,” she added.

Outside of NIH, the proposed bill keeps funding levels unchanged for various health agencies and programs, including the Title X Family Planning Program and national HIV prevention initiatives.

Moreover, the bill disregards about $4 billion—half of the proposed cuts related to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs that were suggested in the White House budget request.

Yet, the looming possibility of another rescue package from the administration remains uncertain.

“The administration walked away from the president’s suggestion for substantial cuts, particularly if he were to introduce a new retirement package in our bill,” lawmakers noted.

However, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget isn’t finalized yet. The House has only passed two of the annual funding bills and has yet to work on the Appropriations Committee markup for the HHS bill.