The Trump administration cut $2.7 billion from NIH funding in early 2025, including a 31% decrease in cancer research. Proposed 2026 budget would slash NIH by 40% ($18 billion) and cut National Cancer Institute by 37% ($2.69 billion). Officials terminated 5,844 already-funded NIH grants in unprecedented move.
Massive Cuts to NIH and Cancer Research Funding
Key Facts9
- 01$2.7 billion cut from NIH funding in first 3 months of 2025
- 02Cancer research funding decreased 31% compared to 2024
- 035,844 NIH grants and 1,996 NSF grants cancelled or suspended - unprecedented action
- 04Proposed 2026 budget would cut NIH by nearly $18 billion (40% reduction to $27.5 billion)
- 05National Cancer Institute budget would drop from $7.22 billion to $4.53 billion (37.3% cut)
- 06Officials began terminating already-funded grants at NIH in February 2025
- 07Represents largest rollback of federal support for medical research in American history
- 08Puts current and future cancer patients at risk according to medical experts
- 09Congress ultimately rejected cuts, increasing NIH budget by $415 million instead
Sources7
Verified across 7 sources