Top Republican Warns Cuts Threaten US Lead on Medical Research

A key Senate Republican has warned that Trump administration moves to slash research dollars and fire scientists risk jeopardizing US dominance in biomedical research.

“Proposed funding cuts, the firing of essential federal scientists, and policy uncertainties threaten to undermine the foundation for our nation’s global leadership,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said during a Wednesday hearing.

As part of a massive reorganization, the Department of Health and Human Services announced in March it planned to reduce National Institutes of Health employees by 1,200.

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“NIH is committed to fostering a vibrant and robust biomedical research workforce in the United States,” Emily Hilliard, HHS spokesperson, said when asked about Collins’ concerns. “We recognize the critical role that U.S.-based scientists play in driving innovation, advancing health discoveries, and maintaining our global leadership in science and technology.”

A sign near an entrance at the National Institute of Health on Feb. 10 in Bethesda, Md. As part of a massive reorganization, the Department of Health and Human Services announced in March it planned to reduce NIH employees by 1,200.

Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Collins has been critical of some early moves to restrict research funding through the agency. Specifically, NIH issued a policy in February to limit the coverage of indirect costs in research grants. This category of funding pays for the overhead needed to conduct research. A Massachusetts district judge permanently blocked the policy earlier in April and HHS appealed the decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

“While some reform of the facilities and administrative system may be merited, this one size fits all cap will be extremely harmful to many institutions and the people who benefit from their work,” the senator said.

Speaking alongside Collins at the hearing, fellow Republican Sen. John Kennedy (La.) defended the NIH research cuts by pointing out the level of dollars provided for indirect costs by non-governmental organizations, like the Gates Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He also discussed alleged abuses of grant dollars in the past.

Sudip Parikh, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, told Kennedy the comparison to the non-governmental entities was an apples-to-oranges comparison. He also warned such a limitation on indirect costs could be damaging, forcing institutions to lay off researchers.

If President Donald Trump’s administration goes through with overall massive cuts to NIH, the US would no longer be competitive in the biomedical space, Parikh said.

“We’re no longer in a race with China on biomedical research, we will have lost that race,” he said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also asked how funding constraints are compromising research collaborations across the US government.

Hermann Haller, president of Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Maine, expressed concerns about the stability of federal support for research. “This message of uncertainty is deleterious,” he told the senator.