N.I.H. Research Grants Lag $1 Billion Behind Last Year’s
The New York Times
After weeks of disruption to scientific federal grants, the National Institutes of Health has fallen behind in funding research into treatments for deadly diseases.
Federal research funding to tackle areas like cancer, diabetes and heart disease is lagging by about $1 billion behind the levels of recent years, reflecting the chaotic start of the Trump administration and the dictates that froze an array of grants, meetings and communications.
The slowdown in awards from the National Institutes of Health has been occurring while a legal challenge plays out over the administration’s sudden policy change last week to slash payments for administrative and facilities costs related to medical research. A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the cutbacks, pending hearings later this month.
Federally funded research has driven major advances in cutting-edge gene therapies and immune-system-boosting treatments for certain cancers, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.
The broader lag in funding is being felt at universities and medical centers from Baton Rouge to Boston, according to congressional lawmakers who are tracking it. Federal spending records show the allocations are about $1 billion lower than last year’s disbursements were at this time.
N.I.H. funding has ground to a halt in the past 10 days, according to Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin.
“The president has completely stopped funding for research that discovers cures for diseases that devastate families across the country, like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, all so he can give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations,” Ms. Baldwin said in a statement on Friday. “Make no mistake, their efforts to rob Peter to pay Paul means crushing families’ hopes and dreams of having cures.”
