Significant funding reductions outlined for National Institutes of Health, along with other government agencies, in proposed HHS budget.
HHS Budget Proposal: Significant Cuts to National Institutes of Health
The proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for fiscal year 2026 has unveiled extensive reductions in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as part of an attempt to streamline the agency's work from 27 institutes into just eight, with a near 40% budget decrease.
Initially revealed in an April preliminary memo from White House budget officials, this year's Budget in Brief document outlines HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plan to prioritize his Make America Healthy Again initiative with a $94.7 billion discretionary budget.
Roughly $4 billion is slated for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a staggering cut from over $9 billion, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's budget is expected to decrease from around $7 billion to $6.5 billion.
However, the most substantial changes are likely to impact the NIH, with a proposed FY 2026 funding allocation of $27.5 billion – a marked decrease from $48.5 billion in 2025.
Three NIH areas, namely the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute on Aging, are to be retained. Institutes working on childhood illnesses, mental health, chronic disease, disabilities, and substance abuse will be reorganized into five new entities: the National Institute on Body Systems, National Institute on Neuroscience and Brain Research, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Institute of Disability-Related Research, and the National Institute of Behavioral Health.
Even the surviving institutes will experience budget cuts: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with a $6.5 billion budget in 2025, is to receive just over $4 billion in 2026. The National Cancer Institute, receiving over $7 billion in 2025, will get about $4.5 billion next year. The National Institute on Aging will see its budget decreased from $4.4 billion to less than $2.7 billion in 2026.
The proposed NIH budget includes a 15% cap on indirect costs research institutions can charge the government, a contentious change that has previously faced judicial blockades.
A leaked video shows NIH staffers staging a walkout during a town hall with NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, as tensions persist over the proposed research cuts and ideology.
The new fiscal document also outlines plans for the Administration for Healthy America – a new agency created under Kennedy, combining divisions such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and several parts of the CDC. The new AHA is set to receive $14 billion in the 2026 budget.
According to the document, the proposed HHS budget reflects the President's vision of making Americans the healthiest in the world while achieving his goal of transforming the bureaucracy. At the NIH, restructuring will create efficiencies that will enable the agency to focus on "true science" and coordinate research to use federal funds more effectively.
Criticism of the budget proposal abounds, with Dr. Stephen Jameson, president of the American Association of Immunologists, stating that the NIH cuts would have "far-reaching and irreversible consequences" for the entire biomedical research enterprise and millions of Americans relying on advancements in biomedical research for their health and lives.
Research!America, a nonprofit advocating for science and innovation, expressed concern over the budget proposal, warning that enacting these cuts would lead to longer lives, poorer health, and decreased innovation.
The proposed budget reductions for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) could potentially impact medical-conditions research, as the NIH works on various aspects of health-and-wellness, including chronic diseases, mental health, and substance abuse.
Moreover, the repercussions of these cuts in the NIH budget could extend beyond the scientific community, influencing political debates and general-news discussions about the future of health-and-wellness research in the United States.
