Welch Calls on GAO to Investigate How Trump’s Cuts to Research Funding Endanger America’s Public Health, Leadership in Science and Tech

Mar 24, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),a member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the economic, scientific, and national security impacts of reducing or eliminating federal support for scientific research at institutions of higher education.
In his letter to Acting GAO Comptroller General Williams Brown, Senator Welch highlighted how the Trump Administration’s elimination of more than 4,000 research grants across 600 colleges—reflecting between $6.9 and $8.2 billion in lost funding—has forced universities to lay off research staff and abandon years of work on projects ranging from cancer treatment to public health surveillance.
“The University of Vermont is facing the potential loss of a $3.4 million grant from the Department of Energy to examine regional renewable power generation. Harvard University had more than $2.7 billion in federal research funding terminated or frozen over the course of the past year. Budget cuts and freezes at the University have interrupted clinical trials and led to layoffs on research teams. Columbia University laid off nearly 180 research staff after the Trump Administration cancelled federal grants and contracts,”wrote Senator Welch. “The Administration has sought to impose a 15% cap on indirect rates—costs associated with the infrastructure that supports research—for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to research institutions. Capping indirect costs at this level would cut $5 billion annually from university-based research nationwide.”
Senator Welch highlighted that in addition to cutting research funding for higher education, the Trump Administration has reduced scientific research funding across federal agencies:“As of September 2025, the National Science Foundation had awarded over $650 million less in funding than previous years. NIH is $1.5 billion behind in obligating grant funds compared to 2024 levels. Historically, the NIH has awarded 82% of its funding for extramural research. Nearly 50,000 competitive grants are awarded to more than 300,000 researchers at 2,500 universities and other research institutions in every state across the nation.”
“The Trump Administration’s research cuts have significant economic impacts,”the Senator continued. “For every one dollar of NIH-funded research, $2.56 in new economic activity is created. Experts have estimated that cuts to NIH and NSF will reduce U.S. economic output by between $10 and $16 billion annually. The Center for American Progress estimates that the proposed reductions at the NIH alone could result in 70,000 jobs lost.”
Senator Welch emphasized how research funding cuts also risk American scientific leadership and national security:“The United States already ranks towards the bottom of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in investments in academic research—reflecting only 0.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While the Trump Administration has cut federally funded research, other countries have increased their public investment in research and emerging technologies.
“A report from the GAO will provide Congress with critical insight as Congress considers legislative and budgetary actions to safeguard America’s leadership in science and technology against partisan attacks,”the Senator concluded.
Senator Welch requested that GAO examine the following, given the central role that federally funded research conducted at institutions of higher education plays in sustaining scientific research in the United States:
Read and downloadthe Senator’s full letter to Acting Comptroller General Williams Brown.
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