Trump Administration Seeks to Slash Biomedical Research Budget

By Jill Drachenberg, Editor, AHC Media

The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed an immediate budget cut of $1.23 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The money would be taken from medical research grants to fund the president’s proposed border wall. This NIH budget cut is in addition to a proposed cut of $5.8 billion in fiscal year 2018, touted as a “major reorganization” of the NIH.

The NIH funding is part of an overall plan of $18 billion in spending cuts for fiscal year 2017, which also includes cuts to infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges. If approved, the funds will be reappropriated for Trump’s boondoggle border wall along the United States-Mexico line.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO, of the House Appropriations Committee, answered “no” when asked if it is possible the proposed budget will pass. Despite this, the anti-science rhetoric of the Trump administration could have far-reaching consequences for the biomedical research community. More information and industry reaction to the proposed budget will be included in the May issue of IRB Advisor.