House, Senate Republicans reject deep White House cuts to NIH

Facing a proposed 40 percent White House budget cut to NIH for fiscal 2026, both House and Senate Republicans are signaling a bipartisan rebuff. Key appropriators and lawmakers say they plan instead to keep NIH funding close to current levels, reflecting both political reality and the institute’s central role in US biomedical research.

The Biden administration's May budget would slash NIH’s budget to $27.9 billion—$18 billion below 2025’s enacted numbers—and reorganize several NIH institutes, as reported by Roll Call.. The NIH, long a congressional favorite for bipartisan support, has rarely been threatened with such drastic cuts.

Republicans spent recent years pressing for NIH reorganization following controversies during COVID-19, particularly gain-of-function research (a scientific field where researchers intentionally modify pathogens, such as viruses, to give them new or enhanced abilities such as increased transmissibility or virulence to proactively study how they might evolve and develop countermeasureand high-profile allegations of sexual harassment). Still, deep funding reductions have proven a step too far. “If you want to control long-term health care costs, you’ve got to invest in basic research,” argued Senate HELP Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who has spearheaded calls for NIH reform but opposes the White House’s proposed cut.

Even GOP leaders most critical of the NIH’s administration say the agency’s mission must be preserved. Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL, an appropriator and research advocate, underscored the need to let ongoing research reach fruition. The concern is practical as well as fiscal: The Congressional Budget Office estimated even a 10 percent reduction to NIH preclinical research would result in 4.5 percent fewer new drugs over 30 years. The impact of a 40 percent cut? Unquantifiable, and potentially devastating.

Meanwhile, modernization efforts continue. Sen. Cassidy’s office recently solicited broad stakeholder input on how NIH can become more transparent and efficient. The reform push remains deliberative, not draconian.

The House Labor-HHS Appropriations panel met last Wednesday and agreed against cuts aligning with the administration’s request. Lawmakers in both chambers appear committed to preserving–if not improving–NIH’s budget and global research leadership while pursuing responsible oversight and reform.