WASHINGTON — Senators from both parties endorsed a $400 million increase to the budget of the National Institutes of Health on Thursday, in an Appropriations Committee vote that represents a clear rebuke of President Trump’s plan to dramatically reduce the agency’s spending.
The administration had proposed slashing the NIH’s budget for the 2026 fiscal year by $18 billion, a 40% decrease. The committee also retained all 27 NIH institutes and centers, rejecting a White House consolidation proposal, and rejected the administration’s plan to revamp the way NIH pays universities, medical schools, and other research centers for overhead costs.
The committee voted to report the appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies to the full Senate by a 26-3 count, with Republican senators in favor including Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell and South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham.
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