Top Republican slams Trump’s cuts to biomedical research funding

USA – Senator Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has delivered a forceful rebuke of the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to biomedical research.

She warned that the actions could severely damage America’s global leadership in scientific innovation.

Speaking at a committee meeting on Thursday morning, Collins emphasized that consistent funding is the lifeblood of American scientific success.

“Stability is a key aspect of the American formula,” she said. “It allows our researchers to do the rigorous, long-term work that turns ideas into life-saving treatments.”

But she cautioned that the system’s success is not guaranteed. “Proposed funding cuts, the firing of essential federal scientists, and policy uncertainties threaten to undermine the foundation for our nation’s global leadership,” Collins said.

A key concern raised by Collins was the administration’s move to cap indirect research costs on NIH grants—costs that help institutions pay for critical infrastructure such as electricity, lab maintenance, and administrative support.

Labeling the policy a “blunt instrument,” she warned it would devastate smaller research institutions and violate long-standing appropriations law.

Also drawing fire were recent abrupt grant cancellations, the laying off of scientific personnel, and budget proposals that slash billions from federally supported research.

Since January, 1,300 NIH employees have been fired and more than US $2 billion in research grants cancelled.

Collins expressed particular alarm at the apparent lack of justification for these decisions, suggesting they appear “arbitrary and ideologically driven.”

Her remarks received strong backing from Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who accused President Trump and DOGE head Elon Musk of “shredding tomorrow’s cures.”

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial initiative not formally recognized by Congress, has been accused of indiscriminately eliminating programs across the scientific and health sectors.

“Trump has taken a wrecking ball to our biomedical research enterprise,” Murray said. “The economic toll is massive—jobs lost, trials halted, breakthroughs delayed.”

Murray, alongside Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), recently launched a funding tracker to expose what they describe as “illegal blockages” of over US $430 billion in federal support, particularly affecting science, public health, and education.

Among the most bizarre new restrictions: NIH researchers have reportedly been issued US $1 purchase limits on lab supply cards—rendering them unable to buy basic materials like gloves and pipettes.

“If this administration succeeds, we won’t just stall scientific progress,” said Murray. “We’ll erase decades of it.”

Collins concluded by calling for an immediate reversal of these policies. “We are not just risking our scientific edge—we are risking lives,” she warned.