A group of 30 senators is pressing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reverse the cancellation of roughly 150 federal patient safety research grants and restore the funding behind them.
In a letter dated 12 August, led by Senators. Richard Blumenth and Tammy Baldwin, the lawmakers called on HHS to rescind terminations that took effect on 15 July and disrupted nearly 200 research programs across 30 states. All 30 senators are Democrats.
The grants were awarded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the only federal agency dedicated to health services research. The senators said the agency has obligated just 5% of its extramural grant funding since 1 October, leaving roughly $200 million unspent for the fiscal year.
“This unprecedented action … undermines decades of taxpayer investments to improve healthcare delivery, patient safety, and health outcomes for all Americans,” the senators wrote.
The letter cited projects cut midstream, including maternal emergency training in Connecticut, fall-risk reduction in rural Colorado hospitals, an effort to curb unnecessary antibiotic use in Utah and research using AI to predict hospitalisations in Wisconsin.
Source: Becker's Hospital Review, 18 August 2026
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment