Congress passed the 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act, increasing NIH funding by just under 1 percent to $48.7 billion for fiscal year 2026. The final bill reversed a proposed 40 percent cut and reinstated some previously frozen grants, according to the Association of American Universities. The modest increase represents a relief for academic biomedical research and life‑science tools vendors reliant on federal grants. Analysts framed the outcome as an incremental positive for life‑science companies that depend on NIH‑funded research activity, while noting uncertainty remains around whether grant approval rates will normalize. The spending package also included provisions affecting pediatric priority review vouchers and transparency measures for pharmacy benefit managers.