On 15 April 2026, AGU joined 94 other professional and medical societies and patient advocacy groups, in a letter opposing proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health. 

The 95 undersigned organizations, including patient advocacy groups, professional scientific and medical societies are profoundly disappointed by the administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would cut the agency’s funding by more than 12 percent. Such devastating reductions would halt promising extramural and intramural research, force layoffs of scientists and research staff, and undermine America’s global leadership in medical innovation. Equally concerning are continued proposals to restructure NIH and eliminate entire Institutes and Centers without Congressional consultation or input from the research community, and the persistent push to expand multi-year grants despite clear opposition from Congress and institutions that would bear the financial risk.

Congress has spoken clearly in support of stable, predictable NIH funding and the Agency’s current approach to funding scientifically meritorious research with appropriate annual oversight. We are grateful for Congress’ strong bipartisan support of medical research in the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. We urge Congress to continue to invest in NIH by appropriating $51.3 billion in FY 2027. We particularly appreciate Congress’s commitment to rejecting proposals to increase multi-year grant funding and cap facilities and administrative costs, which would destabilize institutional budgets and jeopardize ongoing research programs, and recommend that Congress continue to reject these policies, which are included in the administration’s FY 2027 budget request.

Additionally, we urge the administration to respect Congressional authority and work collaboratively, not unilaterally, on any structural changes to NIH. It is imperative that Congress and the broader public have a voice in the scientific priorities, mission, and organization of the agency that funds research discoveries that save lives and strengthen our nation’s health and
economic competitiveness.

We stand ready to work with Congress to protect and advance the NIH mission in the year
ahead

Read the full letter and signatories here.