Key Takeaways
- •Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (Director, National Institutes of Health) announced that OMB approved agency apportionments, enabling NIH to accelerate grant-making after a significant fiscal year slowdown.
- •Bhattacharya highlighted breakthroughs in HIV eradication and gene therapy while advocating for structural reforms to distribute research funding more broadly across non-coastal institutions.
- •Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D, CT-3) questioned Bhattacharya on the impact of firing thousands of NIH personnel and the administration's decision to terminate research grants based on ideology.
- •Republicans praised the end of fetal tissue research and focused on chronic diseases, while Democrats criticized the administration for "hollowing out" the CDC and NIH through personnel cuts.
- •NIH plans to fill 16 vacant institute director positions starting this month to stabilize leadership and ensure FY 2026 funding is fully obligated by year-end.
Read the full transcript
Starting at $350/mo
- Full hearing transcripts
- Speaker timestamps with video verification
- Organization & competitor mentions
- Same-day delivery
- Personalized summaries
30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Hearing Analysis
Overview
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held an oversight hearing on March 17, 2026, to review the operations and fiscal year 2026 budget implementation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Chairman Robert Aderholt (R, AL-4) opened the hearing by emphasizing the need to restore public trust in scientific institutions following the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring that NIH-funded research translates into tangible health outcomes for chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D, CT-3) highlighted the bipartisan success of the FY 2026 appropriations bill, which provided $48.7 billion for the NIH—a $415 million increase—but expressed deep concern over the "hollowing out" of the agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the administration and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Key Testimony
The sole witness, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the NIH and Acting Director of the CDC, testified on the agency's progress in biomedical breakthroughs. He cited the development of lenacapavir, a long-acting antiretroviral that could lead to the eradication of HIV in the U.S. by 2030, and CRISPR-based gene therapies for sickle cell disease. Dr. Bhattacharya also discussed "drug repurposing" as a cost-effective strategy, noting that the shingles vaccine Zostavax may reduce dementia incidence. He outlined several internal reforms, including the creation of a new office to ensure research reproducibility and a "unified funding strategy" to empower institute directors.
Overview
A significant portion of the hearing focused on grant-making and personnel. Rep. DeLauro (D, CT-3) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D, MD-5) criticized the administration for terminating research grants related to racial health disparities and vaccine research, as well as the "front-loading" of multi-year grants which they argued led to 2,000 fewer new grants in 2025. They noted that 16 of the 27 NIH institutes are currently led by "acting" directors. Dr. Bhattacharya defended the administration’s hiring plans, promising that permanent directors would be appointed starting this month based on scientific merit rather than political ideology. He also confirmed that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had finally released NIH’s funding apportionments the night before the hearing, allowing grant-making to accelerate.
Policy Proposals
Partisan tension emerged regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, NJ-12) questioned how the administration’s opposition to DEI would affect research for underserved communities. Dr. Bhattacharya responded that while he seeks to eliminate "politicized" research, he remains committed to studies that improve minority health outcomes. Rep. Mark Pocan (D, WI-2) expressed frustration with "DOGE" and its influence on spending cuts, while Rep. Andy Harris (R, MD-1) argued that the COVID-119 pandemic had destroyed public trust in vaccines due to past leadership's lack of transparency.
Legislative and policy proposals discussed included the "Launching X-Labs for Breakthrough Science" bill, mentioned by Rep. Josh Harder (C, CA-9), which aims to fund large-scale interdisciplinary teams. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R, OK-5) and Rep. Michael Simpson (R, ID-2) advocated for the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program to ensure geographic diversity in funding. Dr. Bhattacharya proposed a structural reform to separate facility support from research grants to break the "catch-22" that favors elite coastal institutions like Stanford University and Yale University over those in the Midwest and South.
Overview
National security and international relations were also addressed. Rep. John Moolenaar (R, MI-2) questioned the NIH’s efforts to prevent the People's Republic of China (China) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) from benefiting from U.S. research. Dr. Bhattacharya noted that the NIH has implemented stricter oversight of foreign collaborations and is working with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to formalize policies regarding "countries of concern." He also addressed the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the shuttering of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) programs, suggesting that bilateral relationships managed by the Department of State could serve as an alternative.
Notable Exchanges
Specific health initiatives mentioned included the IMPROVE initiative for maternal health, the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, and the National Parkinson’s Protection Project. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D, PA-4) pressed for the release of a delayed Parkinson’s Advisory Council report. Additionally, Rep. Simpson (R, ID-2) discussed the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and its role in balancing the benefits of fluoride with emerging data on overexposure risks.
Overview
The hearing concluded with Dr. Bhattacharya committing to follow congressional intent on specific funding directives and promising to prioritize early-career scientists to lower the average age of first-time grant recipients.
Transcript
Okay, good morning everyone. We'll get started and we'll gavel in officially. Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Today we have the honor to welcome Dr. Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health, known as the NIH, to this subcommittee. Dr. Bhattacharya was confirmed as the NIH director almost a year ago, and since that time has been very busy implementing the administration's priorities to advance NIH's mission of conducting basic research and applying these discoveries to the improved human health. Dr. Bhattacharya took the helm of the NIH at a very interesting time, inflection point. NIH-funded research has made the United States the world leader in biomedical scientific research. And over the decades, this research has resulted in breakthrough cures, treatments, and other advancements that have saved or have improved countless American lives. Unfortunately, however, the American public's trust in scientific institutions such as NIH was eroded significantly during the COVID pandemic. Restoring this trust has been a key goal under this administration and under Director Bhattacharya. Part of this is ensuring that Americans see the tangible benefits of the investments the federal government makes in the NIH-supported research, rather than research findings that just sit on a shelf somewhere, never to be seen or utilized. I look forward to hearing more about the NIH efforts to ensure that at the end of the day, NIH-funded research is leading to measurable improvements in Americans' health. Science can be incremental, but in keeping with NIH's distinguished record of biomedical advancements, our research investments must ultimately translate to better health outcomes, such as new treatments, therapies, and cures that improve the overall health. Another part of restoring that trust is establishing trust in the research itself. So it is encouraging that NIH has been exploring ways to encourage the scientific community to validate or replicate scientific findings. In line with this administration's goal of making America healthy again, NIH has also renewed its focus on addressing chronic illnesses that affects Americans. We all know someone affected by heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer's. These diseases are costly for our overall health system, and they take a tremendous toll on individuals as well as their families. Increasing our understanding of these illnesses and advancing these new treatments and preventive medicines and cures will have a profound effect on every American. As stewards of the American tax dollar, we have the responsibility to ensure the NIH funding supports rigorous science that produces meaningful research. In the FY 26 year of appropriations, Congress increased NIH budget by $415 million, including important areas of research such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. We look forward to hearing from you, Dr. Bhattacharya, and working with NIH as it implements this funding in accordance with congressional intent. Dr. Bhattacharya, I look forward to continue to work with you personally and how we can, how you can work with us to productively advance our shared priorities that we have in an NIH investments that will lead ultimately to better health outcomes for all Americans. At this point, I'd like to yield to the ranking member, the gentlelady from Connecticut, for her opening remarks. So Congresswoman DeLauro.
Read the full transcript
Starting at $350/mo
- Full hearing transcripts
- Speaker timestamps with video verification
- Organization & competitor mentions
- Same-day delivery
- Personalized summaries
30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
Not ready to subscribe?
Get a free daily digest with hearing summaries ranked by relevance.
Already have an account? Log in
