Grants halted at agency devoted to safety of U.S. healthcare
Summary
The Trump administration has stopped most grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a federal agency focused on improving patient safety and healthcare quality. Although Congress approved $345 million for AHRQ this year, the agency has spent very little on grants and has not issued new grants in over a year.Key Facts
- AHRQ is a small agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that researches ways to make healthcare safer and better.
- The agency informed researchers on July 15 that at least 104 grants, many for patient safety, were being halted.
- Congress provided $345 million for AHRQ in the current fiscal year, but less than $15 million has been spent on grants so far.
- About 75% of AHRQ staff have left or been fired since President Trump took office.
- President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have cut funding and reduced support for biomedical research across HHS.
- The cuts to AHRQ come despite the agency’s efforts aligning with the administration’s health goals, including improving chronic illness management.
- All of AHRQ’s grant managers have been fired, making future grant oversight difficult.
- Officials say AHRQ plans to create a new system for grants but have not shared details.
- Researchers affected by the grants cancellation expressed confusion, noting their work matches AHRQ’s stated priorities like patient safety, reducing medical errors, and addressing health disparities.
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