Durbin Slams Trump Administration For Pouring Money Into The Defense Department As It Continues To Cut Lifesaving NIH Funding

Durbin Slams Trump Administration For Pouring Money Into The Defense Department As It Continues To Cut Lifesaving NIH Funding

The agreement between DoD and NIH could transfer as much as $2 billion from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

WASHINGTON - Following an announced agreement to transfer funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed the Trump Administration for their misplaced priorities by seeking to divert lifesaving funding from the NIH to the Pentagon.

"There are a lot of issues that come before us in Congress, and there are a lot of political opinions on those issues. What I have found over the years is that there are few issues that transcend politics-medical research is one of those issues. It's a situation where I don't care if the researcher, scientist, or doctor is a Democrat or Republican, or even votes. I want to know if they are doing worthwhile research that can lead to cures [and] can save lives," Durbin said.

Over the past decade, Durbin has pushed for annual five percent funding increases for NIH. Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, because of Durbin's efforts, Congress has provided NIH with a 60 percent increase in annual funding, raising the appropriations level from $30 billion in FY2015 to $49 billion today. Last year, the President's budget sought to cut NIH's budget by 40 percent, or $18 billion. Thankfully, the Senate rejected that proposal and instead increased funding for the NIH. Unfortunately, due to President Trump's continued attacks on medical research, this funding remains in jeopardy.

Durbin said, "The agreement sets up a path for the Department of Defense and the NIH to collaborate on chemical and biological defense research and development. That's a good thing, isn't it? Of course it is. But who is going to pay for it? Who's going to pay for this research? The Department of Defense that has $1 trillion annual budget, or is it the NIH, an agency that struggles at $49 billion to fight off cuts in the budget proposed by the President? If you guessed the NIH, you're right."

The so-called agreement could direct as much as $2 billion from the NIH, specifically the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [NIAID].

"Let's be honest about what this is: a move to siphon funds away from the nation's premier medical research agency, which struggles to fund lifesaving research, to bankroll the Pentagon, the most heavily funded agency in our government. By implementing this agreement, the Trump Administration will once again undermine the NIH when they should be boosting it," Durbin continued.

President Trump has been adamant on gutting the NIH and medical research. For years, it was the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that navigated our country through infectious disease threats and prevention. Unfortunately, this proposed plan to transfer as much as one-third of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' budget over to the Pentagon would undermine this important mission and leave us vulnerable to future infectious disease threats.

The Pentagon received nearly $840 billion in the FY2026 appropriations bill and another $150 billion from the Republican reconciliation bill, which also gave the Department extraordinary discretion over how to spend the funds. Compared to DoD, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases received barely $6.6 billion in the FY26 appropriations bill.

Durbin concluded, "For years, this investment in research at NIH has been worthwhile. This proposal to transfer one third of the agency's [NIAID] budget on infectious diseases is a mistake. DoD is increasing its investments in medical research, and that's a good thing… But we need to be committed all the way when it comes to funding NIH."

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available herefor TV Stations.

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