Trump NIH appointee defends president’s research funding cuts on Capitol Hill
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Donald Trump’s pick for the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), faced tough questions during his confirmation hearing regarding the president’s decision to cap indirect research costs at 15%. Bhattacharya, a Stanford professor and senior fellow, defended the cuts, stating that he would follow the law but also investigate their impact and ensure that NIH researchers have the necessary resources to advance health outcomes.
During the hearing, Bhattacharya outlined a new decentralized vision for NIH research, emphasizing transparency, embracing dissenting ideas, and focusing on research that directly benefits health outcomes. He expressed a desire to eliminate frivolous research efforts and prioritize research topics with the greatest potential to improve the health of Americans.
In response to concerns about minority health research, Bhattacharya assured senators that addressing the health needs of all Americans, including minorities, was a top priority for him. He emphasized the importance of research that drives meaningful outcomes and rejected the notion that ideology should determine research funding decisions.
Bhattacharya also discussed plans to reform the NIH’s research portfolio, emphasizing cutting-edge research, increasing funding for younger investigators, and improving validation research. He addressed Republican concerns about vaccine-autism research and the use of aborted fetal tissue in NIH-funded studies, affirming the clear lack of a link between vaccines and autism and pledging to follow the president’s lead on the use of aborted fetal tissue.
Overall, Bhattacharya’s confirmation hearing highlighted his commitment to promoting impactful research, transparency, and the health needs of all Americans. If confirmed as the next NIH Director, he aims to lead the agency in a direction that prioritizes meaningful outcomes and embraces a diversity of ideas in medical research.
