The White House is expected to ask Congress to cut National Institutes of Health spending by 20 percent in the president’s fiscal 2027 budget request, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the planning.

The budget request, slated for release next week, reflects President Donald Trump’s policy priorities and acts as a guide to lawmakers as they draft appropriations bills for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Cuts of that size would be a step down from the 40 percent reductions the Trump White House proposed last year, but would still represent a massive blow to the biomedical research agency, and one that would get major push back from lawmakers of both parties. 

The NIH received $48.7 billion in fiscal 2026, a $415 million increase over the previously enacted level. The Trump administration last year proposed $29.3 billion for fiscal 2026. 

The sources, all in the medical research industry, said that the administration will once again propose consolidating some of the agency’s operations, though whether that would mirror proposals from last year isn’t clear.

The ask may be surprising to lawmakers who summarily rejected the requested cuts last year.

When asked Thursday about potential cuts, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said her “views are very apparent on that,” and noted the current fiscal year’s increase.

White House staff did not respond to a request for comment.

NIH funding also became a point of contention last year when the administration terminated or froze over 1,800 research grants, particularly targeting those related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Many were later reinstated.

The administration also attempted to cap researchers’ overhead costs and change the way grant money is distributed so multi-year grants were funded upfront. Lawmakers rejected both efforts.

Polling strong

Support for funding medical research has only grown among both parties during the first year of the Trump administration, according to new polling commissioned by United for Cures and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican-affiliated polling firm.

The poll surveyed opinion on NIH funding in 2025 and earlier this month, finding that voters are increasingly opposed to cuts.

More than 90 percent of those surveyed said it’s important for the U.S. to be the global leader in medical research and for the U.S. government to fund it. It also found 62 percent of those surveyed said the federal government isn’t spending enough, with only 8 percent saying the government spends too much.

Last year, 47 percent of Republicans supported NIH cuts and 36 percent opposed them. This year the numbers flipped, with 35 percent of Republicans supporting cuts and 45 percent opposing them — a 21 point swing.

Jarrett Lewis, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies and lead researcher on the poll, said it shows that support for the NIH is gaining intensity, not fading.

“This is truly an issue with backing across all voter lines,” Lewis said.

The United for Cures survey, conducted March 4 through 10, surveyed 1,500 registered voters.