Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens (D) on Friday introduced the “Stop RFK’s BS Act” which would reverse the funding cuts that have been carried out under Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rule.
The bill, according to its text provided first to The Hill, would immediately reinstate grants and awards that have been terminated since the start of President Trump’s second term if it is passed.
Stevens’s bill would also require that requests made by covered grant recipients to an official at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) be disbursed within 30 days of the request. It would also extend the budget period of reinstated grants by one year.
“Let me be clear: We cannot afford to let RFK Jr.’s reckless cuts derail lifesaving cancer research that families across Michigan and the country are counting on,” Stevens said in a statement. “This is about saving lives, protecting jobs, and defending science. We won’t let politics undermine America’s leadership in medical research. My message to RFK is simple: Stop the cuts, stop the chaos, stop the BS.”
Stevens has repeatedly called for Kennedy to be removed from his role in the administration, saying earlier this month that he should resign following cuts to pediatric cancer and vaccine research.
Since the start of Trump’s second term, hundreds of millions in NIH funding have been cut or cancelled. The Trump administration also has proposed a 40 percent cut to NIH’s funding for the 2026 fiscal year.
The Supreme Court in August ruled to allow the administration to cut $783 million in NIH funding linked to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In February, the NIH announced it would be limiting grants for “indirect funding” to 15 percent. These funds go towards facility fees and administrative costs.
The Senate Appropriations Committee rejected the administration’s request for NIH budget cuts in July.
The cuts have alarmed Republican lawmakers like Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), whose constituents are employed at NIH-funded institutions.
The introduction of Stevens’s bill comes a day after she announced her intention to introduce articles of impeachment against Kennedy.
“He’s making Michiganders unhealthy and unsafe. He needs to resign now. It’s time for leaders who fight for science, for health, and for the people, not those who undermine the progress our families and researchers work so hard to achieve,” Stevens said in a statement Thursday.
