Overview
- The NIH director, who is also the acting CDC chief, fielded more than two hours of bipartisan questioning before the House Appropriations health subcommittee on agency priorities and budgeting.
- He affirmed that routine childhood vaccinations are tremendously important but argued vaccine mandates erode public trust and are counterproductive.
- He outlined tighter auditing of NIH-funded work abroad and said the U.S. should not fund research in State Department–designated countries of concern, naming China, Iran and Venezuela.
- He voiced optimism about eliminating domestic HIV by 2030 and cited lencapavir as a long-acting prophylactic that offers near total protection against acquiring HIV.
- Members highlighted a $415 million NIH budget increase for FY2026 even as reports allege slow-walked grant disbursements, and Bhattacharya said accountability and reproducibility reforms are underway.