U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said Monday that he would oppose any White House push to reduce funding for the National Institutes of Health, the largest biomedical research agency in the world.
Roll Call, citing sources in the medical research industry, reported last week that the White House could seek to cut NIH funding by 20% in its 2027 budget request — a claim disputed by the administration. The White House sought to slash NIH funding by 40% this fiscal year, but Congress rejected that request and instead boosted funding for the agency by $415 million.
“I will be a strong advocate for increasing the NIH budget again this year. I’m not in favor of the president’s budget, if in fact it’s the case that it would reduce NIH funding by 20% or 40% or whatever it is,” McCormick, a Republican from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, said during a stop in the Strip District.
McCormick led NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on a tour of some of Pittsburgh’s leading life sciences and research centers on Monday. Stops included the UPMC Vision Institute, the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute and the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Bhattacharya also led a life sciences industry symposium on how NIH funding is fueling commercialization and biotechnology growth in the Pittsburgh region.
Pennsylvania ranked as the nation’s fourth-largest recipient of NIH funding during the 2025 fiscal year, receiving nearly $2.3 billion in federal research funding, according to McCormick. The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC received $670 million of that funding, ranking ninth among institutions nationally, McCormick said.
This story will be updated.