What we fight for:
FY27 Appropriations – NIH
The Honorable Mike Johnson,
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries
Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable John Thune
Majority Leader, U. S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Chuck Schumer
Minority Leader, U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Leader Thune, and Leader Schumer:
The undersigned organizations, including patient advocacy groups, professional scientific and medical societies, and other aligned stakeholders representing a broad range of medical and public health interests, write to urge the swift passage of a final appropriations bill that protects the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and provides at least the Senate-approved funding level of $48.7 billion for NIH in fiscal year 2026 (FY26).
With longstanding bipartisan support, Congress has empowered NIH to advance research that has significantly improved the nation’s health and quality of life. NIH-supported discoveries have led to innovations that treat, cure, and prevent disease, delivering substantial medical and economic benefits to communities across the country, from new approaches to identifying and treating cancer to support for small businesses and the development of commercial biomedical innovations. Unfortunately, continuing resolutions, the recent government shutdown, and disruptions to the timely review of meritorious grant applications have created persistent uncertainty that is undermining progress on critical national health priorities.
A continuing resolution or partial shutdown beyond January 30 would further exacerbate challenges facing NIH-funded researchers nationwide. Without a full-year appropriations bill, NIH will be forced to continue delaying awards for new projects and restricting funding levels. These delays not only slow scientific progress but also risk job losses, as researchers may be unable to retain essential staff while awaiting funding decisions. For time-sensitive or longitudinal studies, such disruptions can result in the permanent loss of data and research momentum, wasting taxpayer investments already made in critical programs. To prevent further delays to lifesaving research and reaffirm the United States’ leadership in medical innovation, Congress must pass a full-year appropriations bill that funds NIH at $48.7 billion in FY26, consistent with the bipartisan bill adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Congress has a critical role in protecting NIH from disruptions to its grantmaking process and in sustaining support for both longstanding and emerging research priorities. Consistent with this goal, the final negotiated FY2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill should limit the proportion of multiyearfunded grants to levels consistent with FY2024 as the Senate bill does. A significant expansion of multiyear funding would have immediate and severe effects on success rates for investigator-initiated research, disproportionately disadvantaging trainees and earlycareer investigators seeking their first NIH awards. Such a policy could also hinder appropriate oversight of ongoing grants, particularly for sensitive research such as clinical trials. Accordingly, we urge inclusion of the Senate bill language in the final negotiated text stating that NIH “may not increase the proportion of multiyear grants awarded in FY2026 compared with the proportion awarded in FY2024 unless NIH awards the same total number of grants in FY2026 as in FY2024.”
In addition, we urge Congress to prevent the imposition of arbitrary caps on facilities and administrative (F&A) rates by retaining Senate report language that affirms the current negotiated rate model and prohibits NIH from developing or implementing a modified approach. F&A costs support essential activities necessary for conducting rigorous, transparent, and ethical research and cannot be absorbed by researchers under a strict and arbitrary cap. Instead, Congress should work with the stakeholder community to comprehensively assess the full costs of research across diverse settings, including urban, rural, and ecological environments, as part of any future consideration of alternative funding models.
In closing, we appreciate the work of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to date to advance bipartisan legislation that avoids cuts to NIH. However, we are increasingly concerned that Congress may not complete action on the LHHS bill before January 30. We urge Congress to move swiftly to finalize the LHHS appropriations process and deliver a bill that adequately funds and protects this vital, lifesaving agency. Thank you for your attention to this important request.
Sincerely,
- Academic Pediatric Association
- Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research
- Accessia Health
- Alliance for Aging Research
- Alpha-1 Foundation
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Anthropological Association
- American Association for Anatomy
- American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
- American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
- American Association of Immunologists
- American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine
- American Association of Physicists in Medicine
- American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
- American Brain Coalition
- American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians
- American College of Osteopathic Internists
- American Diabetes Association
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- American Gastroenterological Association
- American Heart Association
- American Kidney Fund
- American Lung Association
- American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
- American Pancreatic Association
- American Pediatric Society
- American Physiological Society
- American Psychological Association services
- American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
- American Society for Microbiology
- American Society for Nutrition
- American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET)
- American Society of Hematology
- American Society of Human Genetics
- American Society of Nephrology
- American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- American Society of Pediatric Nephrology
- American Society of Transplantation
- American Thoracic Society
- American Urogynecologic Society
- American Urological Association (AUA)
- Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities
- Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs
- Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
- Association of Minority Health Professions Schools
- Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
- Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
- AVAC
- Beyond Celiac
- Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF
- Case Western Reserve University
- Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
- CDH Research International
- Center for Endometriosis Care
- Choose Healthy Life
- Coalition for Clinical and Translational Science
- Coalition of Skin Diseases
- Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
- Cure HHT
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Digestive Disease National Coalition
- Endocrine Society
- Endometriosis Association
- Epilepsy Foundation of America
- Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)
- Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS)
- First Candle
- Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
- Genetics Society of America
- Gerontological Society of America
- Head for the Cure
- Healthy Birth Day, Inc.
- HealthyWomen
- Heart Failure Society of America
- HIV Medicine Association
- Hope Charities
- Indiana University
- International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Interstitial Cystitis Association
- Kids for Saving Earth
- Lupus Foundation of America
- Lupus Research Alliance
- Lymphatic Education & Research Network
- Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research
- National Kidney Foundation
- National Scleroderma Foundation
- Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Society
- NephCure
- North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
- NPWH
- Nutrition and Medical Foods Coalition
- Oncology Nursing Society
- Organic Acidemia Association
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN)
- Pediatric Policy Council
- Periodic Paralysis Association
- Platelet Disorder Support Association
- PreemieWorld Foundation Inc.
- Prevent Blindness
- Project Sleep
- PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy
- Radiological Society of North America
- Renal Physicians Association
- RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association
- Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation
- Sleep Research Society
- Society For Biomaterials
- Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention
- Society for Developmental Biology. Please list only society name, no people names
- Society for Leukocyte Biology
- Society for Neuroscience
- Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research (SPER)
- Society for Pediatric Research
- Society for Public Health Education
- Society for Public Health Education
- Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD)
- Society for Women’s Health Research
- Society of Behavioral Medicine
- Society of Family Planning
- Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, Inc. (SGNA)
- Society of General Internal Medicine
- Society of Gynecologic Oncology
- Society of Toxicology
- TB Alliance
- The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
- The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy
- The National Pancreas Foundation
- The Obesity Society
- Treatment Action Group (TAG)
- Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine
- U.S. Pain Foundation
- UMass Chan Medical School
- United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc.
- University of California, San Francisco
- US Hereditary Angioedema Association
- VHL Alliance
- Vision Sciences Society
- wAIHA Warriors
- Women First Research Coalition
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