ACG has heard member concerns over proposed National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding cuts and delays. That’s why earlier this month, ACG Governors sent more than 20 letters to key Senators and House Representatives who oversee funding for the NIH.
In their letters, the ACG Governors emphasized the importance of biomedical research, both for our patients and on the economies of states and local communities. They also highlighted several active GI research projects on issues like colorectal cancer, gut microbiomes, liver disease, and more. So far, we have received many positive responses from congressional staffers.
As a sample, here is the letter ACG Governor for West Virginia Justin Kupec, MD, FACG sent to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Chair of the Senate Labor-Health Appropriations Subcommittee. Similarly, ACG Governor for Alabama Mohamed Eloubeidi, MD, FACG sent a letter to Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Chair of the House Senate Labor-Health Appropriations Subcommittee.
We were pleased to see that the Senate Appropriations Committee seeks to modestly increase the NIH’s budget to $48.7 billion, instead of accepting the Trump Administration’s proposed $18 billion cut. ACG will continue our advocacy efforts to ensure Congress understands the detrimental impact of cuts on patient care breakthroughs, and we hope the House will follow their colleagues’ lead in supporting clinical GI research.
Additionally, earlier in August, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruled that the NIH violated the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) by not pausing or cancelling grants, thereby not spending funds appropriated by Congress for FY 2025.
The GAO emphasized that “NIH’s actions to carry out these executive directives, coupled with publicly available data showing a decline in NIH’s obligations and expenditures, establishes that NIH intended to withhold budget authority from obligation and expenditure without regard to the process provided for by the [ICA].” The GAO says it will also monitor the various court cases regarding NIH funding cuts and will update their ruling accordingly.