Triangle at the epicenter of proposed cuts to federal funding for medical research

North Carolina’s Triangle region stands to lose billions of dollars and thousands of jobs if proposed cuts to federal funding for the National Institutes of Health become a reality next year, a new analysis of federal grants indicates.

The Trump administration is proposing to cut 40% of the institutes’ funding in the 2026 budget year. North Carolina is one of the top recipients for those research dollars. And much of the funding is focused on the counties that make up the Triangle region, which includes three major research universities.

The proposed cuts would be in addition to almost $800 million in previous cuts to current NIH grants that were allowed to take effect following a split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.

The NIH funds health research that addresses health problems that impact many Americans, including cancer, diabetes, dementia, infectious diseases and more.

Under the proposed cuts for 2026, the congressional districts that make up the core of the Triangle would lose $2.1 billion and 9,000 jobs, according to projections by the Science & Community Impacts Mapping Project, a project by an interdisciplinary team of data researchers.

North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District — home to Duke University and the University of North Carolina’s flagship campus in Chapel Hill — would be the hardest hit district in the country, according to SCIMaP, which estimates the district would lose $1.2 billion in direct funding and indirect economic impact, accounting for 5,300 jobs and researchers.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee, who represents the district, didn’t immediately respond to a WRAL interview request.

WRAL asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services why these cuts are needed and whether the Trump administration is aware of the impact they would have on the scientific community and the region’s economy.

A department spokeswoman responded with a statement: "NIH is committed to restoring the agency to its tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science. For too long, resources have drifted toward projects with limited relevance to the health challenges facing Americans. NIH remains committed to research that is free from ideology and bias — science that is exploratory, rigorous, and focused on improving health outcomes. It is a deliberate course correction to strengthen accountability and ensure NIH funds research that delivers measurable impact for all Americans."

North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District — encompassing central and eastern Wake County, home to N.C. State University — stands to lose $537 million and 2,300 jobs, according to SCIMaP. And the 13th district, which includes parts of Wake, Johnston, Harnett, and several other counties, faces projected losses of $321 million and 1,400 jobs.

U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat who represents the 2nd district, called the proposed cuts a “stake in the heart” of the future of U.S. research. “It would be devastating for Wake County, but more importantly, it would be devastating to the scientific enterprise — and a gift to China,” Ross told WRAL.

She said she didn’t understand the Trump administration’s rationale for the cuts. “When you cut those things, you devastate economies, you make people less healthy, and you hand over the future to other countries, particularly our competitors,” Ross said.

She added that she was hopeful the proposal would ultimately be rejected by Congress. “We have to turn this around,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Brad Knott, who represents the 13th district, didn’t immediately respond to an interview request.

Researcher Alyssa Sinclair, a cofounder of the SCIMaP project who received a doctorate from Duke, said she wants to help educate voters about the importance of science funding in their home communities.

She says the proposed cuts could devastate the research community. The Triangle is “a powerhouse for research, especially biomedical research,” Sinclair told WRAL. “We see a lot of reliance on the NIH for this funding that's coming in, and that's a huge boon to the state economy, really driving this research and innovation enterprise.”

The statewide research finds the independent Research Triangle Institute would see the largest projected funding loss of $804 million. Duke University would lose $741 million in funding, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill would lose $606 million.

Neither RTI nor UNC immediately responded to a request for comment. Duke University declined WRAL’s interview request.

WRAL also asked 2026 U.S. Senate contenders Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper for comment on the analysis.

A spokesman for the Cooper campaign responded, "The extreme right-wing agenda of Washington Republicans continues to threaten North Carolina jobs just to fund tax breaks to billionaires and the well-connected.”

A spokesman for Whatley didn’t immediately respond.