Maine
Opinion: NIH cuts will paralyze Maine’s biomedical research
The government recently announced an astonishing $4 billion cut to research institutions across the nation that have National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded programs.
Why should this matter to people in Maine when budget cuts are simultaneously occurring across all departments in the federal bureaucracy? It turns out extramural-funded research in Maine is a burgeoning economic enterprise.
NIH funds support biomedical research across Maine at The Jackson Laboratory, Maine Medical Center, MDI Biological Laboratory and the Universities of Maine and New England to the tune of $125 million in fiscal year 2024. In general, every $1 NIH invests results in $2.46 of economic activity.
Moreover, NIH-funded research has led to significant breakthroughs that improve human health in everything from infectious diseases to cancer. In addition, during 2023 alone, NIH funding in the United States supported over 400,000 jobs and generated nearly $93 billion in economic activity. How could this happen overnight and what exactly are these cuts?
Simply put, NIH research grants are awarded with two separate pots of money. The first is called the direct cost. That represents the money required to do the research, get the equipment and drugs for human and/or animal studies and pay investigators. The second pot is the indirect cost. That is what it takes an institution to perform those studies, i.e., support ancillary personnel and students, pay rent on research space, maintain and upgrade overall resources and equipment and safeguard human and animal studies through ongoing oversight and support.
No awarded grant could be done in a vacuum, hence the administrative or indirect costs are essential and generally are calculated to cost between 35-70% of the original grant award, depending on the institution.
The government has declared that indirect costs for all federally funded NIH grants would be 15%, a shocking reduction for every institution across the country, but particularly in Maine. Project 2025 advocated such a cut by citing waste and abuse from indirect costs, although no such documentation has been presented to support that generalization.
Moreover, NIH in a statement declared that medical research in universities such as Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins have huge endowments that can cover all the lost revenue. (For context, Harvard had a $53.2 billion endowment in the 2024 fiscal year.)
Even universities with major endowments will likely face challenges since many endowments are severely restricted in their spending. However, institutions in Maine are in a far more precarious position. We are a small state with limited state funds and no universities with the kinds of endowments mentioned by the NIH. And there is good reason why we should not leave top-notch research to institutions with giant endowments in a few well-funded states.
Here in Maine, we do first class biomedical research that saves lives and produces new breakthroughs in cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s, to name a few.
I have spent 40 years in clinical practice in Maine as an endocrinologist but also run a basic research laboratory and oversee multiple clinical trials funded by the NIH. I have worked at three of the five institutions in Maine that receive substantial NIH funding as well as serving on several NIH advisory committees.
So I can unequivocally state that loss of indirect revenues through these cuts will have a chilling effect on our Maine research enterprise. Small research institutions will suffer major job layoffs, and may not be able to accept further NIH funding without the means to carry those programs out. The economic fallout from job losses will be felt throughout the state.
Fortunately, all is not lost. We have two great senators from Maine, and both understand the nuances that come with large biomedical research grants.
Sen. Collins probably knows more about the NIH and its importance in finding breakthroughs for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and diabetes from her 30y years of advocacy than any senator or representative in Congress. And she now chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee where NIH funding is determined. I call on her and all our representatives to reverse this poorly thought out decision and move forward so we can do the kind of work that all of us want to see happen to make our communities the healthiest they can be.
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This story will be updated.
The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
Insiders saw this first.
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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