House proposes a consolidation of NIH ICs in FY 2025 spending bill

The U.S. House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) this week released and approved its draft federal fiscal year (FY) 2025 spending bill.

The bill would provide $48.5 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the same total funding level provided for NIH in FY 2024. The bill includes $500 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a reduction of $1 billion below last fiscal year’s enacted level.

The bill would impose a set of new structural and policy reforms for the agency, including consolidating NIH’s existing 27 institutes and centers into 15 new centers. Within this newly proposed structure, ARPA-H, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and the NIH Common Fund would be merged into the new National Institute on Innovation and Advanced Research. Additionally, the bill would impose prohibitions on certain types of research and other activities, and caps reimbursement of facilities and administrative expenses for certain institutions.

The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) and the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research continue to advocate for an allocation of $51.3 billion to NIH in FY 2025. Additionally, ACR recently signed onto an effort with more than 1,000 organizations asking Congress to reject damaging funding level reductions in FY 2025 and fully appropriate the necessary non-defense discretionary funds.

The bill now advances to the full Appropriations Committee for consideration.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee has not released its FY 2025 figures for NIH and the individual institutes and centers. The final FY 2025 bill for NIH may not reflect the House’s proposed NIH consolidation; the House and Senate will then need to negotiate a consensus versions of the LHHS bills, including a final allocation to NIH and additional federal agencies.

For more information, contact Katie Grady, ACR Government Affairs Director.