Congressman Cohen Condemns Proposed Cuts in Federal Support for Biomedical Research

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today condemned a Trump Administration proposal to cap facilities and administrative cost reimbursements to 15 percent of total research project costs on National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awards to biomedical research institutions. The proposal would be devastating to Tennessee universities and research organizations. In 2023, Tennessee received about $770 million in funding from the NIH. The proposed reduction would result in a roughly $250 million annual loss to institutions in the state.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“NIH funding is critical to the economic health of Memphis and the Mid-South region. Due to the medical research at our medical school, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the University of Memphis, among several other institutions, our community receives more than $100 million that supports physicians, researchers, and other support staff. This funding goes to peer-reviewed projects that have great potential to save lives and improve therapies. This is not the kind of cost-saving Americans want because it is sure to cause unnecessary harm. I join a chorus of medical research professionals in demanding that this short-sighted and dangerous policy be reversed immediately.”

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