Trump Administration Threatens to Defund Healthcare Research as End of Fiscal Year Looms

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has informed the House Appropriations Committee of plans to divert more than $100 million in funding for healthcare research to other agencies, putting those funds at risk of lapsing at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, when the funding expires. Of the $100 million, information on just $35 million has been shared with the Committee. It is not clear what the administration intends to do with the remaining $65 million. However, funding transferred via an interagency agreement (IAA) still expires at the end of the fiscal year, raising questions about the administration’s motivation for the move.

“Once again the administration is sitting on funding for important healthcare research that is intended to improve safety for millions of patients and bring down health care costs for consumers,” said Ranking Member DeLauro. “Dismantling the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) by diverting funds that Congress approved on a bipartisan basis will hollow out critical research into advancements in healthcare that lower costs and improve safety. At a time when working families are struggling to afford basic necessities like food, housing, healthcare, and childcare – this work is more important than ever. I call on the administration to allocate funding for healthcare research in the manner we prescribed and stop defunding important research that helps patients and families. This administration has concealed the full extent to which they have abused the interagency process to defund programs and priorities that Congress funded on a bipartisan basis. It is clear there is bipartisan support for increased transparency, and a Democratic majority will prioritize shining a light on these abuses so Congress and taxpayers can know how their money is being spent.”

Previously, Ranking Member DeLauro raised the alarm on an effort by the Department of Defense (DoD) to steal billions of dollars from biomedical research funding at the National Institutes of Health.

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