Pa. senators press Trump officials over research cuts
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Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, left, and Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, right. Photos: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images and Al Drago/Getty Images
Pennsylvania's U.S. senators are asking the Trump administration to explain why it cut millions in federal health research funding from Pitt and other institutions this summer.
Why it matters: The funding cuts, including about $4.5 million at Pitt, are among a string of grant cancellations and delays that have halted research, eliminated jobs and cost Pennsylvania universities millions over the past two years.
Driving the news: The letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., publicized Monday, is the latest joint effort from Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick, whose unusual bipartisan friendship has grown increasingly public in recent months.
Catch up quick: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) did not continue two multi-year University of Pittsburgh research grants totaling about $4.5 million in July, per nonprofit AcademyHealth.
- The grants were among more than 150 AHRQ awards discontinued nationwide, including nearly a dozen in Pennsylvania.
- The research focused on improving care for ICU patients returning home, children with chronic conditions and advanced cancer patients seeking pain relief. One Children's Hospital of Philadelphia study aimed to help doctors better identify signs of child abuse.
Zoom in: McCormick and Fetterman asked HHS to brief their offices by Sept. 25 on why the grants were canceled, whether institutions can appeal and what will happen to unused funds.
- Ending multi-year grants midstream can strand research, disrupt jobs and delay work aimed at improving patient care, the lawmakers said.
- They also want to know whether prior federal investment, research progress and potential disruptions factored into the decisions — and HHS' long-term plan for AHRQ.
What they're saying: "While we appreciate HHS' commitment to ensuring federally funded research promotes scientific rigor and delivers meaningful value for taxpayers, we believe these objectives should be balanced with consideration of projects that have already undergone review and received federal funding," the senators said in the letter.
- "Careful stewardship of federal research spending is important to maintaining public trust in our nation's research enterprise."
- The agency in July said the cuts align spending with Trump administration priorities, adding to billions in federal research funding canceled or frozen nationwide.
The other side: "AHRQ determined that certain non-competing continuation grants and jointly funded grants would not receive continuation awards," HHS said in a statement to Axios.
- "To be clear, these grants were not terminated – they reached the end of their funding period and were not continued. The Trump Administration remains committed to the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars."
Between the lines: McCormick, a close Trump ally, has repeatedly questioned federal research cuts, citing their impact on jobs and U.S. scientific leadership.
- In May, he and Fetterman pressed the National Institutes of Health to release congressionally approved grant funding.
Flashback: Last month, two dozen Senate Democrats — excluding Fetterman — urged HHS to reverse the cancellations, calling them an "outrageous abuse of administrative power."
The bottom line: "We will continue to work with our elected officials and other external stakeholders to ensure the University of Pittsburgh maintains its status as a world-class research powerhouse that delivers cutting-edge discoveries, innovations and breakthroughs," Pitt said in a statement.