Michigan Representative Haley Stevens has introduced new legislation to reverse funding cuts made under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s leadership. The bill, called the “Stop RFK’s BS Act,” would bring back grants and awards that have been ended since President Trump’s second term began.
The legislation would require that requests made by grant recipients to National Institutes of Health officials be paid within 30 days. It would also extend the budget period of restored grants by one year. Stevens made her position clear in a statement about the cuts affecting research across the country.
“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, according to The Hill. “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.”
Widespread impact of NIH funding cuts
Since Trump’s second term started, hundreds of millions in NIH funding have been cut or cancelled. The Trump administration has also asked for a 40 percent cut to NIH’s funding for the 2026 fiscal year. More than 1,500 NIH grants have been ended, according to reports from Nature.
Call your reps again! This can't pass bc of Senate but it's a way to degrade RFK's rep & influence.
— Dr. Lynn Fynn-derella
Anything to hide the truth and protect their cash cows. pic.twitter.com/ppj7M0h26C(@Fynnderella1) September 25, 2025
The Supreme Court ruled in August to allow the administration to cut $783 million in NIH funding linked to diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In February, the NIH said it would limit grants for “indirect funding” to 15 percent. These funds usually cover facility fees and administrative costs.
The cuts have affected research on topics including pediatric cancer, vaccine development, COVID-19, HIV, and Alzheimer’s disease. A federal judge recently ordered the restoration of $500 million in cancer research funding at UCLA after finding the Trump administration likely broke the law. Public universities across the country have been hit hard, including flagship schools in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Nebraska and Texas. The cuts have impacted at least 220 organizations, with 94 being public universities.
Republican lawmakers including Senators Susan Collins and Katie Britt have raised concerns about the cuts, especially as their constituents work at NIH-funded institutions. The Senate Appropriations Committee rejected the administration’s request for NIH budget cuts in July. Some Republicans have turned on Kennedy as he becomes a political problem for the administration.
Stevens said she would introduce the bill one day after announcing she would file articles of impeachment against Kennedy. She has repeatedly called for Kennedy to resign, citing his cuts to pediatric cancer and vaccine research. “He’s making Michiganders unhealthy and unsafe. He needs to resign now,” Stevens said in an earlier statement.
