This decision is a big deal because it protects critical medical research and public health programs from severe budget cuts. The NIH funds everything from cancer studies to vaccine development, so maintaining—and even increasing—its budget ensures progress in fighting diseases and improving healthcare. It also signals bipartisan resistance to extreme spending reductions in key areas.

The Senate Appropriations Committee rejected the Trump administration’s massive proposed funding cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), advancing a measure that would increase the agency’s budget by $400 million.  The White House budget called for slashing NIH funding by $18 billion, a decrease of 40 percent. Instead, the committee advanced the bill on...

A Senate committee has pushed back against the Trump administration's plan to drastically cut funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other health agencies. Instead of approving the proposed $18 billion reduction (a 40% decrease), the committee advanced a bill that would actually increase the NIH's budget by $400 million.