The American College of Radiology (ACR) said it will continue to advocate for increased federal research funding levels following the release of President Trump’s full federal fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget on May 30.
“The request provides the [U.S. National Institutes of Health] with a total of nearly $27.5 billion in total discretionary budget authority, which characterizes an approximately $18 billion cut compared to FY 2025 enacted levels,” the ACR said, in a June 4 statement.
Following the May 2 release of the initial budget materials, the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, of which the ACR is a member, noted in a statement that the proposal would be detrimental to patient health and diminish the nation’s role as a global leader in biomedical research, the ACR said.
The U.S. House and Senate are currently drafting their respective versions of the Labor Health and Human Services allocation for FY 2026, with negotiations aimed to be completed by the fiscal year deadline on September 30, the ACR said.
In April, the ACR submitted congressional testimony asking for $51.3 billion for the NIH and $1.5 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which is slated for $945 million under the proposal. The ARPA-H was funded at $1.5 billion in FY 2025, the ACR noted.
