Senate Republicans Urge White House to Release Delayed NIH Research Funds

A bipartisan group of Senate Republicans, led by Senators Katie Britt and Shelley Moore Capito, has urged President Donald Trump's administration to expedite the release of already appropriated funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), warning that delays could threaten biomedical research, jobs, and Americans’ access to life-saving treatments. Despite the White House's proposal to cut the NIH budget by 40% for fiscal year 2026, House and Senate Republicans plan to maintain funding at current levels, emphasizing the importance of sustained investment in medical research. The senators expressed concern that withholding funds, whether formally or functionally delayed, undermines research momentum and public trust in the NIH, while also risking severing ongoing projects before results can be realized. They highlighted NIH’s critical role in funding institutions like West Virginia University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which depend heavily on timely federal support. Additionally, while supporting efficiency and accountability reforms, the lawmakers stressed that drastic budget cuts would be detrimental to efforts in curing diseases and supporting innovation. This pushback reflects broader Republican apprehension toward Trump's approach of withholding funds to address ideological disputes within federal agencies.