Congress Moves to Protect Research and Physician Training

Despite Recent Progress, NIH Funding Delays Persist

Despite Congress' rejection of the administration's proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, recent developments highlight growing concern over funding delays and administrative bottlenecks affecting the pace of biomedical research. NIH has fallen significantly behind its historical schedule for distributing research funds, largely due to delays by the Office of Management and Budget in releasing FY 2026 appropriations after the budget was enacted in early February. This prompted scrutiny during a March 17 oversight hearing with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, where Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) noted that full funding was only approved for release the night before the hearing.