PHARA Act of 2025

The Prevent Halting of Active Research Act of 2025 requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, to immediately release and expend all funding for existing grant and cooperative agreements. It also mandates the rapid payment of all pending reimbursement requests under these agreements. Crucially, the bill prohibits the cancellation of any existing agreement where an awardee is performing active and ongoing research . For grant and cooperative agreements entered into after the bill's enactment, the legislation stipulates the inclusion of a specific termination clause . This clause will limit termination solely to cases of material breach, a significant change in circumstances, or mutual agreement among all parties. Such terminations would require a 90-day written notice and an attempt to amend the agreement's terms before the termination date. Additionally, the bill explicitly prohibits the National Institutes of Health from terminating future agreements based on them no longer aligning with evolving program goals or agency priorities , requiring a regulatory revision to reflect this change.