Research!America Statement on the President’s FY26 Budget Request
Arlington, VA – Research!America, a nonprofit alliance that advocates for science, discovery, and innovation to achieve better health for all, is alarmed and deeply disappointed by President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request to Congress today. The president’s proposal would be disastrous for Americans’ health and scientific capabilities. The administration seeks to slash $18 billion from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a cut of nearly 40% to the nation’s premier health research agency, and about $3.6 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (a 39% cut). The budget proposal would also cut the National Science Foundation budget by $5.2 billion, or roughly 57%. The proposal cuts the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality budget by 35% and stops future grants.
The budget proposal also calls for the elimination of key areas of basic and clinical research as part of a wholesale restructuring of the NIH.
“If enacted, the president’s proposed cuts will dramatically slow U.S. medical research and innovation, taking away health and hope from Americans,” said Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley. “Childhood cancer, Alzheimer’s, Lupus … name a health threat, and this budget would neglect it. This budget proposal not only goes against good sense, but it also goes against what the American people want. An overwhelming majority (92%) of the public want the president and Congress to deliver faster medical progress, not suppress it,” she continued. “And NIH-funded research is a proven economic engine, returning $2.56 for every dollar invested.”
“Furthermore, these cuts, if enacted, would do little more than smooth the path for China and other competitors as they aggressively ramp up investment to eclipse the U.S. in science and technology investment,” she said. “In the face of China’s enormous commitment to research and development, the president’s budget represents a surrender of our leadership role.”
“The Research!America alliance strongly urges Congress to reject this proposal,” Woolley said. “Americans want and need a nation that meets and defeats the challenges facing us. Now is the time to go bigger and bolder in U.S. science and technology.”
Contact Glenn O’Neal, Senior Director of Communications, at 571-482-2737 or [email protected] with press inquiries.