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Billions of dollars worth of research from the National Institutes of Health were left in uncertainty for several hours, leading to confusion after a memo from the Office of Management and Budget seemed to instruct a pause in its funding.
The funding suspension at NIH occurred following the interpretation of a footnote in an OMB memo, which suggested that the disbursement of funds for research grants was restricted, as outlined in an email sent to NIH staff on Tuesday afternoon by Neil Shapiro, the associate director for budget.
Shapiro stated in the email, "We are striving to ensure this limitation is short-term and temporary."
This situation follows a series of significant budget reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services, directed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which has left agencies like NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a state of confusion as they implement directives from higher authorities.
After various media reports, OMB publicly reversed its position, with a spokesperson indicating on Tuesday evening that the funds were "undergoing a programmatic review" but "are being released."
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Nonetheless, uncertainty persisted at NIH. Almost concurrently with OMB’s public statement that the funding pause was not in effect, NIH leadership informed staff via email that it was still "only authorized to obligate funds" for restricted purposes such as salaries and clinical expenses, but that "NIH leadership is actively working to resolve this issue and hopes to provide further updates soon."
On Wednesday morning, normal operations were briefly disrupted by the confusion, including approvals for credit card purchases. An email sent to a group of agency employees responsible for approving credit card purchases indicated that the halt was still in place, stating "a pause on the obligation of funds related to research and development," with a commitment to keep the group informed of any alterations to the new requirements.
Two hours later, those same employees were notified that the funding halt had been lifted.
The funding freeze could have affected approximately $15 billion intended for research institutions nationwide between now and September 30, as estimated by Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington, a prominent member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"What is astonishing to me is that OMB claims these funds are being released, while HHS asserts precisely the opposite—the disorder and dysfunction of the Trump administration is overwhelming. These individuals should not be managing a lemonade stand, let alone all federal cancer research," Murray remarked in a statement.
Since assuming office in February, Kennedy has managed extensive reforms of the health system. Starting in April, nearly 10,000 individuals were estimated to have been laid off, including entire offices at the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and NIH.
Subsequently, hundreds of employees were reinstated following public outcry or internal agency discussions regarding the consequences, leaving the total impact of the layoffs uncertain.
Cuts to research funding have also been a consistent aspect of Kennedy’s HHS. Despite the secretary’s repeated assertions that scientific research was not affected by the reductions, the NIH had disbursed $1.6 billion less in funding by April of this year compared to the previous year — a decline of one-fifth — as noted in a New York Times analysis. Additional grants have been entirely eliminated because the administration has determined them to be ideologically inconsistent with the president’s agenda.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
