'We Have A $39 Trillion Debt': RFK Jr. Defends 'Painful' Cuts To NIH Funding

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Thank you, gentlemen. Yields back, and I recognize Representative Fletcher for her 5 minutes of questions. Thank you, Chairwoman. Uh Secretary Kennedy, the last time you sat before this committee, last June, I expressed to you my concerns about the funding cuts to medical research, and I know many of uh many people across the country share these concerns. I represent a lot of people who do, um and a lot of them do this work in medical research at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, uh the largest medical complex in the world.

[00:00:32]And in response last year, you told me, "It's not our intention to cut critical research. We need to keep America as the hub of this critical research."

[00:00:42]And yet, for the past year, I've continued to hear from these medical professionals about their serious concerns to the cuts that this administration has made to scientific research. And the United States has long held the well-earned position of the world leader in cutting-edge scientific research and innovation. But, the cuts that this administration has made and is proposing to make in the budget that you are here to support to our institutions, especially to the National Institutes of Health, they're threatening the United States' position as a leader in this research. So, I have a few questions. I know you had a conversation about this with Mr. Guthrie and with Chairman Guthrie, and it it prompted some more questions. So, I want to ask, first of all, do you know how many jobs NIH funding supported in fiscal year 2025 across the country?

[00:01:33]I I think it was uh well, jobs created means supported >> Jobs, research supported jobs for researchers um through NIH grants and funding.

[00:01:43]For researchers or internal NIH funding?

[00:01:47]>> Not internal NIH funding, but the the NIH grant funding process and supports jobs across the country in all kinds of medical research. Do you know how many jobs the funding coming from NIH >> There were something like 62,000 grants, so there would be there could be entire research teams on each of those. There are research teams. The answer is 391,000 American jobs are supported by this NIH funding. And so, you know, more than 80% of NIH's budget supports these cutting-edge research grants through a competitive, merit-based process that annually awards, as you said, more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and institutions in all 50 states. So, it's concerning to me that the fiscal year 2027 budget request that we're talking about today renews the prior push to cap indirect costs at 15% and doesn't address the significant funding delays that we talked about earlier at NIH. Um at the same time that the US is cutting funding for research, other countries are investing in research. And for example, as you discussed with Chairman Guthrie, China has made no secret of its ambition to dominate biomedical research. I believe you testified earlier, I made a note, you said, "China's eating our lunch."

[00:03:13]And China is graduating more STEM PhDs than any other country, dramatically increasing state investment in biomedical research infrastructure, and and Secretary Kennedy, do you understand that cutting federally funded research, as this budget does, will cede US leadership on biomedical research to China and create national security and global competitiveness challenges for the United States?

[00:03:41]You want me to answer that question?

[00:03:42]>> Yes, please.

[00:03:43]You want me to give a thoughtful answer to that question? Because I share your concerns.

[00:03:49]Uh we we still pay for almost 80% of the biomedical research on Earth at NIH, much more than any other country does.

[00:03:58]I don't want to cut NIH programs. Russ Vote doesn't want to cut NIH programs, but we have a $35.9 trillion debt.

[00:04:07]We've been asked to cut across the board at HHS 12% of our $111 billion budget.

[00:04:14]And so, we're making cuts that are painful.

[00:04:17]Some of those are going to be at NIH, but I can also say that NIH is funding a lot of crazy stuff.

[00:04:23]>> do appreciate uh I have limited time, so if you want to elaborate on that, um I ask you to do it in writing. I do want to ask a couple of other questions, because in addition to the cuts, there are also um just delays. And in response to Chairman Guthrie's question about what to do about some of these issues in competitiveness, you said, "We're doing it."

[00:04:42]Um but in the first 13 months of the administration, do you know how many notice of funding opportunities were issued compared to 2024?

[00:04:50]We're not going to have time for you to answer unless you know it off the top of your head, but I will tell you NIH issued 84 NOFOs. 84. I'm happy to explain why that is.

[00:04:59]>> in 2024. So, you know, if if we are falling behind here, we need to figure out the funding that we are doing, we've got to get it out the door. So, I have more questions for you. I will submit them for the record. I thank you, gentlemen.

[00:05:13]>> and I appreciate you allowing me to answer some things, so and I can answer that other one for you, but I'm also happy to work with you on it. Okay.

[00:05:21]Thank you. I'll submit my questions for the record. Thank you, Madam >> Gentlemen, the