Boyle Statement on Nonpartisan Watchdog Finding Trump Administration Illegally Withheld Health Research Funding
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following statement after the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Department of Health and Human Services violated the Impoundment Control Act by withholding congressionally appropriated funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The finding comes after Boyle raised concerns about cuts affecting research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania and demanded answers from the Trump Administration:
“GAO has made clear that the Administration violated the law by withholding funding Congress provided for critical health research. In Philadelphia, these cuts threaten lifesaving work, along with good-paying jobs and one of the most important drivers of our regional economy. I will continue fighting to protect Philadelphia’s research institutions and ensure the funding Congress provides is actually put to work.”
BACKGROUND
In August, Boyle joined researchers from CHOP and Penn to oppose the Administration’s cuts to AHRQ-supported programs and highlight their impact on Philadelphia. Researchers warned that the funding losses threatened ongoing medical research, research jobs, and programs training the next generation of scientists.
Boyle also sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and AHRQ Director Roger Klein seeking information about the canceled and withheld funding, including whether the Administration intended to fully obligate funding appropriated by Congress. To date, the Administration has not responded to Ranking Member Boyle's questions about withholding this money.
GAO concluded that HHS violated the Impoundment Control Act when it refused to spend appropriated AHRQ funds, without submitting the special message to Congress required by law.
The stakes extend beyond individual research grants. Philadelphia is one of the country’s leading life sciences hubs, with more than 88,000 life sciences workers across the Greater Philadelphia region, and recent data show employment in biotechnology research and pharmaceutical manufacturing reaching record levels. Federal research investments help support that broader ecosystem of hospitals, universities, scientists, startups, and high-skilled jobs.
As the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, Boyle has made protecting Congress’s constitutional power of the purse a central focus of his oversight work, repeatedly challenging efforts by the Executive Branch to freeze or withhold funding approved by Congress. Congressman Boyle’s Congressional Power of the Purse Act strengthens Congress’s authorities under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) and creates criminal penalties for violations of the ICA.
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