North Indy News

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and 13 other Senate Republicans have urged the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to release appropriated funds for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In a letter addressed to OMB Director Russell Vought, the senators asked the administration to implement the Fiscal Year 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, which was signed into law by President Trump earlier this year.

The legislation includes funding for NIH research in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and rare pediatric disorders. The senators expressed concern about delays in distributing these funds.

“We are concerned by the slow disbursement rate of FY25 NIH funds, as it risks undermining critical research and the thousands of American jobs it supports. Suspension of these appropriated funds – whether formally withheld or functionally delayed — could threaten Americans’ ability to access better treatments and limit our nation’s leadership in biomedical science. It also risks inadvertently severing ongoing NIH-funded research prior to actionable results,” wrote the senators.

They added, “We share your commitment to ensuring NIH funds are used responsibly and not diverted to ideological or unaccountable programs. We are confident Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya are well positioned to uphold gold standard research by ensuring that NIH awards are grounded in transparency, scientific merit, and a clear alignment with national interests. Our shared goal is to restore public trust in the NIH precisely because its work is focused on results, accountability, and real-world impact. Withholding or suspending these funds would jeopardize that trust and hinder progress on critical health challenges facing our nation. Ultimately, this is about finding cures and seeing them through to fruition.”

Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also signed the letter.