Kneecapping National Institutes of Health will stifle economic growth, radiology groups warn
Kneecapping the National Institutes of Health will stifle economic growth in America, imaging groups warned Wednesday.
Over 500 healthcare organizations including the American College of Radiology issued their plea as Congress considers 2026 funding for the key federal agency. An initial proposal in the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations would provide $48 billion, maintaining current spending levels, the ACR noted in a Thursday news update.
This comes after the Trump administration had initially requested slashing the NIH’s budget by nearly 43%, down to $27.5 billion. The White House has sought to curb what it sees as wasteful investigations focused on DEI and gender ideology, instead emphasizing “bold research that meets the highest ethical standards.”
“Support for NIH leads to cures and treatments that combat debilitating health challenges and secures our global leadership in research and technology,” ACR and other members of the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research said in a statement Sept. 3, noting that the appropriations committee has emphasized the need to “counter China’s growing threat in basic science research.” “NIH also drives economic growth and stability in communities nationwide—every state and almost every congressional district receives a share of NIH funding,” the group added.
The budget outline forwarded to the full House Committee on Appropriations Sept. 2 also proposes maintaining all 27 institutes and centers of the NIH, ACR noted. This after the President’s Budget Request had suggested slashing the figure down to eight. In addition, the House is eyeing a roughly 1.4% increase in funding levels for the National Cancer Institute, boosting it to $7.3 billion in 2026. Meanwhile, representatives recommend cutting funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health—which supports “transformative” biomedical and health breakthroughs—by about 37% (or $555 million), down to $945 million next year.
In its statement, the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research strongly urged Congress to exercise its oversight authority and ensure NIH can fully appropriate funds for research “without disruption or delay.” Failure to do so will leave key research projects and the patients, families and scientists involved “in limbo.” Other AHGMR members include the American Board of Radiology, Association of Academic Radiology, Society of Interventional Radiology, the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
“Failure to sustain long-term investments now will jeopardize decades of lifesaving progress for patients by delaying the cures they urgently need and will allow global adversaries to threaten U.S. leadership in medical research,” the statement reads.
ACR noted lawmakers are approaching a Sept. 30 deadline, with Congress needing to agree on a funding package before then to avoid a government shutdown.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.