The Senate Committee of Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions voted to approve Jay Bhattacharya as director of the Nationwide Institutes of Well being on Wednesday. He now faces a glide-path to affirmation within the full Senate.
Bhattacharya will work with Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his deliberate overhaul of public well being businesses.
The NIH is the most important backer of biomedical analysis on this planet, funding almost $48 billion in scientific analysis by 50,000 grants to lots of of 1000’s of researchers throughout educational establishments and hospitals.
The Trump administration has already roiled the scientific neighborhood with efforts to slash assist at main analysis institutes, together with these at public universities.
Bhattacharya, a Stanford College well being researcher and economist, was an outspoken critic of lockdown orders and different security measures applied through the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was pressed by senators final week on his stance on vaccine analysis, drug costs, and up to date mass firings and funding cuts of federal well being businesses. He additionally spoke out in assist of Kennedy, his would-be boss.
“Kennedy is not a scientist but his good faith calls for better research and more debate echoed many Americans,” Bhattacharya advised senators at his affirmation listening to.
