Research!America Alarmed by Budget Request that Calls for Destructive Cuts to Research Funding
Arlington, VA – Research!America, a nonprofit alliance that advocates for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all, is alarmed by new details released today in the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request.
The budget plan puts a fine point on the proposed $18 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), distributing those cuts across the Institutes in a manner that reflects a major downsizing and restructuring of the agency. What is missing from the budget is how this contraction would affect the day-to-day lives of Americans waiting for cures; U.S. security and self-determination as we rely more on other nations for medical progress; and the millions of American jobs created by U.S. research leadership.
“If the proposal is enacted, Americans today and tomorrow will be sicker, poorer, and die younger,” said Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley. “American research has a proven track record of increasing survival, reducing the burden of illness, and creating jobs. Cutting research funding helps no one; instead, it hurts everyone.”
A recent survey commissioned by Research!America shows that 9 out of 10 Americans across the political spectrum want both the president and Congress to assign a higher priority to faster medical progress, not to abandon it,” she said. “We ask the Trump Administration and Congress to work collaboratively and quickly to address massive research spending gaps in the current fiscal year and invest boldly in NIH going forward.”
Contact Glenn O’Neal, Senior Director of Communications, at 571-482-2737 or [email protected] with press inquiries.