Durbin Offers Amendment To Reinstate All NIH, Other Critical Grants That Have Been Unlawfully Terminated By The Trump Administration
NIH clinical trials and other research grants provide cures & hope to patients; Republicans in the Committee voted to block the amendment
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin’s (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, submitted an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education appropriations bill to reinstate NIH and other critical grants that were arbitrarily and unjustifiably terminated by the Trump Administration.
Durbin spoke about his amendment during today’s Committee markup on the Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations bill. Durbin’s amendment was voted down by Republicans in the Committee, despite Durbin listing off cancelled NIH grants in every state represented by Republicans in the Committee room.
Since President Trump took office, NIH has terminated or froze nearly 5,000 awards totaling $4 billion, while another approximately $15 billion has not yet been obligated. The Department of Education has frozen $1 billion in school mental health grants approved by Congress in the wake of the Uvalde elementary school shooting; and nearly $400 million in active AmeriCorps grants have been terminated, harming nutrition, health care, disaster relief, youth, and senior services. Across red states, NIH has ended at least 1,389 awards totaling $820 million and delayed sending funding to more than 1,000 additional projects totaling $740 million.
Key Quotes
“There are many projects that have been arbitrarily frozen or terminated during this calendar year. Billions of dollars in research grants have been halted. Patients and researchers have no idea why.”
“Northwestern University in Chicago conducts the largest volume of NIH-funded research in Illinois. But for four months, they have not received a penny for their NIH-approved grants. Nine hundred NIH awards to Northwestern have been frozen or terminated, halting $160 million in research to date, including clinical trials. This includes research into the world’s smallest pacemaker for newborns with a congenital heart defect. That is the number one congenital heart illness that infants face in America. I know that issue personally. I can tell you personally, after your new baby gets that diagnosis, you pray that research is underway.”
“This could happen to any of your states and research centers—it could hurt any of your families. University of Alabama Birmingham has had 28 awards cancelled or frozen this year, totaling $23 million.”
“I was pleased that Senator Britt sent a letter to OMB Director Vought last week urging the timely release of NIH funds. It was signed by 13 other Republican Senators—including the full Committee and Subcommittee Chairs, and five more Republicans on this Committee.”
“How did OMB respond? On Tuesday, it blocked NIH from awarding grants. That was the reaction from that agency to Senators from their own party. It negates what we are doing to find cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, if we know that down the street, they will be frozen.”
“While a federal judge appointed by President Reagan halted some cuts, last week, the Trump Administration petitioned the Supreme Court to allow them to go through. They are so desperate to cancel cancer research, they are seeking an emergency appeal in the courts.”
“My amendment would reinstate all grants and awards since January 20th and requires timely disbursement of awards—except in the case of financial mismanagement.”
“It is time to put an end to this chaos. Let my just close by saying: this is not a partisan issue, we have thousands of grants—5000 grants—across the United States that are now in jeopardy because of some decision by this administration to fund some, not fund others… it’s almost impossible to follow.”
“My amendment says [we] should fund these programs that have been waiting and waiting and waiting on a timely basis. The research [is important] but more important, I think, are the researchers.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks in Committee is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks in Committee is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks in Committee is available here for TV Stations.
A copy of Durbin’s amendment is available here.
-30-