Sign in Subscribe
Social services

NIH Research Indirect Costs Cap and Alzheimer's Law Implementation Put to the Test

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Senator Susan Collins questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the proposed cap on indirect costs for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research, as well as the impact of workforce reductions on laws such as the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act, a bill she authored that was signed into law last year. The proposed cap on indirect costs would result in less basic research, fewer clinical trials, and cause scientists and researchers to leave the United States. Senator Collins expressed concerns that the reductions in force across HHS would undermine the implementation of the BOLD Act, which aims to promote earlier diagnosis, educate providers, and support caregivers.

Key Takeaways:

  • The proposed 15% cap on indirect costs for NIH funded research is a one-size-falls-all approach that would harm biomedical research and cause scientists and researchers to leave the United States.
  • The cap would result in less basic research, fewer clinical trials, and would lead to a loss of talent for biomedical research institutions in the United States.
  • The BOLD Act, a law that Senator Collins authored, aims to promote earlier diagnosis, educate providers, and support caregivers for Alzheimer's patients, and has been recently extended.
  • The reductions in force across HHS, totaling approximately 10,000 staff, would undermine the implementation of the BOLD Act, including the Healthy Aging Branch, which has lost all its staff.
  • Secretary Kennedy acknowledged that the NIH had a checkered history on studying Alzheimer's and that there is an opportunity now to do good science and find a cure for the disease.
  • Maine has received significant funding for the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act, growing from $10 million in fiscal year 2020 to $34 million in fiscal year 2024.

Statistics:

  • The proposed cap on indirect costs is 15%.
  • Approximately 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease.
  • Caring for people with Alzheimer's costs the United States some $360 billion per year.
  • The BOLD Act has been recently extended.
  • Funding for the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act has grown from $10 million in fiscal year 2020 to $34 million in fiscal year 2024.
  • The United States has lost approximately $9 billion per year in indirect payments for administrative costs that were not related to science.
  • The workforce reductions across HHS are approximately 10,000 staff.

Sources:

  • U.S. Senate News
  • United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins Q&A on NIH Research Indirect Costs Cap: [Click HERE to watch and HERE to download](https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/videos/)
  • United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins Q&A on Alzheimer's Law Implementation: [Click HERE to watch and HERE to download](https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/videos/)
  • U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing chaired by Senator Susan Collins: [Click HERE to download](https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings)
  • MIL OSI USA News (http://milnz.co.nz/mil-osi-aggregation/) - Copyright 2025 Multimedia Investments Ltd, distributed by Contify.com

Read more