White House Proposes $5 Billion Cut to NIH Budget for 2027

The White House released its fiscal year 2027 budget request on April 3, 2026, proposing a $5 billion reduction in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The proposal asks Congress for a total of $41 billion for the agency, a figure that represents a smaller decrease than a 40% cut proposed in 2025.

Beyond the overall funding reduction, the administration intends to significantly restructure the agency by downsizing the number of its institutes and centers from 27 to 22. This plan is expected to face a chilly reception from lawmakers across both political parties and reports indicate that Congress is unlikely to approve the proposed $5 billion cut.

Institutional Restructuring and Eliminations

The budget request identifies three specific entities within the NIH for complete elimination:

• The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
• The Fogarty International Center
• The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

The administration provided specific justification for the removal of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, stating in the budget document that the institute is replete with DEI expenditures.

Additional structural changes include the consolidation of two existing institutes that focus on research regarding alcohol and drug abuse. These would be merged into a single new entity called the National Institute of Substance Use and Addiction Research.

The proposal also calls for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to be relocated, moving it out of the NIH and into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Targeted Research and Spending Cuts

The White House is seeking to enact reforms at the NIH to eliminate what the administration describes as wasteful spending. This targeted effort focuses on research related to two specific areas: the origins of COVID-19 and transgender care.

These spending reforms are part of a broader effort to trim the federal health agency budget, which includes a proposed 12% cut to federal health agencies in the 2027 budget request.

Impact on Advanced Research Funding

The funding reductions extend to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which is tasked with funding cutting-edge science. The White House is asking Congress to slash the ARPA-H budget from its current $1.5 billion down to $945 million.

The combined effect of these proposals would result in a leaner NIH with fewer specialized centers and a reduced capacity for specific types of medical research and high-risk, high-reward scientific projects through ARPA-H.