Policy & Advocacy

FASEB issued a statement expressing grave concerns about the administration’s request, noting that if enacted by Congress, the unprecedented cuts to NIH and NSF would severely erode progress in biomedical and biological research.

In its statement, FASEB acknowledged appreciation for the contributions of international scholars in advancing scientific discovery.

FASEB submitted a statement for the hearing record, commenting on several issues raised during the witness testimony and questions and answers, including the 15 percent cap on F&A costs, sudden termination of grants, and the growing instability across the biomedical funding landscape.

On April 21, Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, the new director of the NIH, provided an overview of his top five priorities for the agency as part of the public session a rescheduled convening of the NIH Council of Councils.

The NSF made organizational changes and terminated over 400 grants as part of continuing efforts to implement recent executive orders pertaining to reducing the size of the federal government and DEI.

The Secretary of HHS announced on March 27 efforts to conduct a dramatic restructuring in accordance with the executive order, “Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.”

Amid rumors that President Trump will send his fiscal year 2026 budget request to Congress in either late April or early May, FASEB sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees summarizing the federation's funding recommendations for the NIH, the NSF, and other science agencies.

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The advocates visited a total of 96 members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, including both Democrats and Republicans.

The recommendations in the Vision for American Science and Technology report—which more than 70 scientists, CEOs, university leaders and former U.S. officials put together—were announced during an Axios event in February.

U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-VT) will host the discussion on how the Trump administration's actions toward the NIH will affect disease research.