ASH Statement on Proposed Budget Cuts to the National Institutes of Health
A nearly 40% reduction in funding would devastate essential progress in hematology research and unnecessarily endanger patients living with blood disorders
(WASHINGTON—June 6, 2025) – Yesterday, the Administration published details of the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request of $27.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), representing a cut of nearly 40% to the agency, and outlined a plan to consolidate the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers into just eight.
The institutes that primarily fund hematologic research – the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases – would suffer cuts of up to 40.5% each, with the latter two being combined into a new National Institute on Body Systems.
NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world and has driven decades of scientific breakthroughs that have directly improved the health of Americans, including those with blood disorders. Federal funding of the NIH has enabled the development of gene therapies for sickle cell disease and CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. These cutting-edge therapies have redefined the treatment landscape in hematology and spurred critical advancements across other fields of medicine.
In response to these proposed cuts, Belinda R. Avalos, MD, president of the American Society of Hematology, issued the following statement:
“This budget proposal is misguided and dangerous. This drastic, unilateral reduction would undermine the biomedical research enterprise, stall progress toward life-saving cures, and imperil the health of millions of Americans living with blood disorders.
A cut of almost 40% to NIH’s budget would disrupt medical research, patient care, and the national and local economies, with consequences that will last for generations. It is imperative that Congress reject this proposal and reaffirm its commitment to medical research by delivering robust, sustained investment in the NIH.
The Administration must work with Congress, health care organizations, and the medical community to continue building upon the United States’ historic commitment to supporting innovative, transformative research.”
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (hematology.org) is the world’s largest professional society of hematologists dedicated to furthering the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting the blood. Since 1958, the Society has led the development of hematology as a discipline by promoting research, patient care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology. Join the #Fight4Hematology by visiting hematology.org/fight4hematology.
The Blood journals (https://ashpublications.org/journals) are the premier source for basic, translational, and clinical hematologic research. The Blood journals publish more peer-reviewed hematology research than any other academic journals worldwide.
Contact:
Claire Whetzel, 202-629-5085
cwhetzel@hematology.org