[This item is an excerpt from an article from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences]

What is Happening at AHRQ?

April 9, 2026

Federal science and research agencies have faced highly publicized attacks over the past year, with the Trump administration aiming to slash budgets and restrict research. Although the scientific community has been largely successful in encouraging Congress to provide robust funding and some specific protections, many agencies continue to face enormous challenges. In particular, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has been hit especially hard. Supporters continue to work diligently to save it.

Why is AHRQ a Target?

The agency has long been a target of Republicans, who see its research as duplicative of the work being done at and funded by other federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). However, the NIH mission is more on understanding organ systems and treating disease while PCORI’s research is narrower in scope, focusing primarily on patient-centered comparative clinical research. In contrast, AHRQ works on health services research (HSR) and primary care research (PCR) that explores how to best translate understanding and treatments into real-world change.

The Trump administration has also homed in on AHRQ in its mission to end so-called “woke” programs at federal agencies. In its two most recent president’s budget requests (PBRs), the administration has flagged AHRQ for significant cuts, claiming it funds research not aligned with the administration’s health priorities (i.e., Make American Healthy Again). The fiscal year 2027 (FY27) PBR states that the agency’s digital health portfolio is “harmful” (p. 23).

What is Being Done About it?

The stakeholder community has strongly pushed back against these attacks. In particular, the Friends of AHRQ — of which FABBS is a member — has advocated on the Hill for robust funding and staffing for the agency. In the final FY26 appropriations, Congress provided AHRQ with about $345 million, just a 7 percent cut, and left the agency intact, not moving any of its programs elsewhere. FY26 bill language also requires that HHS appropriately staff the agency so it can execute on the appropriations.

[Ed. note: The original article includes links to related articles and advocacy resources.]