Under Trump, NIH funding disruptions have evolved. Here's what the numbers show
The Trump administration's approach to NIH funding has caused significant disruption for biomedical researchers, including delayed grants and proposed budget cuts. While Congress has largely maintained funding levels, the administrative instability has impacted long-term scientific research projects.
Why it matters
Political interference in scientific funding can have long-term consequences for medical breakthroughs and public health outcomes.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) wields a $47.5 billion budget. More than 80% of its funds go out the door as grants to answer pressing biomedical questions. Over the decades, those grants have helped decipher the human genome, eliminate the polio virus in the U.S. and turn AIDS from a death sentence to a survivable illness.
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But experts say this kind of fundamental science is coming up against an administration that has delayed funding and rerouted billions of dollars in research, resulting in chaos for researchers and patients alike. Trump officials say the administration's practices serve to further the agency's goals.
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