Updated September 15, 2026 at 1:37 PM EDT
Pennsylvania's senators are demanding information about more than 150 health research grants canceled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this summer. In a letter to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick expressed concern about the impact the canceled grants could have on Pennsylvania research institutions.
The senators noted that many of the affected research projects had already been peer reviewed and had received federal funding in prior years.
"While we greatly appreciate the Department of Health and Human Services' commitment to ensuring federally funded research invests in scientific innovation and delivers meaningful value for taxpayers, we believe these objectives should be balanced with consideration of projects that have already undergone peer review and received federal funding," the senators said in the letter.
The University of Pittsburgh and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were among the Pennsylvania research institutions impacted by the latest round of cuts, according to the letter. A Pitt spokesperson thanked the senators in a statement.
"The federal government's partnership with research universities is one of the country's greatest advantages in the fight to maintain global competitiveness, and 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.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) canceled more than 150 research grants in July. Termination notices from the agency shared online by affected researchers cited a need to "better prioritize agency resources" to match those laid out by the Trump administration.
The AHRQ grants are the latest in a sea of terminated or frozen federal research projects worth billions. The rapid shift in federal priorities for scientific research has created instability across the nation's major research institutions, the senators warned.
"Careful stewardship of federal research spending is important to maintaining public trust in our nation's research enterprise," the senators said. "The recent decision to end continuation funding for ongoing AHRQ grants may create uncertainty around federal research support, making it harder for institutions to plan long-term projects, retain experienced researchers and pursue future scientific breakthroughs."
Fetterman and McCormick requested an explanation about the criteria used to determine which grants were canceled and whether institutions will have an opportunity to seek reconsideration by the department. They also questioned whether HHS plans to reallocate funds appropriated for AHRQ. The two requested a briefing with HHS about the matter by Sept. 25.
HHS did not immediately respond to WESA's request for comment.
Fetterman and McCormick's letter comes nearly a month after two dozen Senate Democrats, not including Fetterman, sent their own letter to Kennedy. Democrats called the department's actions "an outrageous abuse of administrative power."
"Democrats and Republicans did not work together to appropriate funds for AHRQ as a gentle suggestion for the Department to follow at their discretion or leisure," the August letter read. "We did not appropriate these funds so that money could remain unspent while Americans suffer and our healthcare system struggles... Abandoning this work is antithetical to the mission of the Department."
In their letter, McCormick and Fetterman said "abruptly ending multi-year projects after substantial federal investment could waste taxpayer resources, disrupt ongoing research, eliminate jobs, and delay innovations aimed at improving patient care."
The two also warned, "This instability risks weakening our nation's leadership in scientific research."
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