Bhattacharya Defends NIH Budget Request to Senate Appropriators

As the Congressional appropriations process continues, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was invited to defend the President’s FY 2026 before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations subcommittee (see COSSA’s analysis). Under the President’s budget, the NIH would see steep budget cuts and a major restructuring that would reduce the institutes and centers (ICs) from 27 to 8. Throughout the hearing, Bhattacharya fielded questions on the impacts of these proposals on the research community and dismissed concerns, claiming that the proposal is the starting point of a budget negotiation.

Several points of contention are currently under litigation, including the proposal to cap indirect costs at 15 percent and the proposal to reorganize the NIH, restricting Bhattacharya’s ability to speak directly on those issues.

In her opening statement, Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) acknowledged the “difficult” appropriations season ahead of them and emphasized the importance of biomedical research in U.S. economic activity, while Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) raised concerns over the almost 40 percent cut to NIH’s budget under the proposal. Bhattacharya emphasized his commitment to addressing America’s greatest health concerns, prioritizing chronic disease prevention; however, he failed to assure the Committee how the NIH could operate with such steep cuts. Sen. Baldwin continued her line of questioning, to which Bhattacharya affirmed that it is his decision which NIH grants are being cut under the Administration’s new guidelines (see list of Trump’s Executive Orders here).

As raised in recent hearings with the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, several Democratic members of the committee questioned Bhattacharya on current-year funding (FY 2025), raising concerns over the legality of the budget cuts being made by the Trump Administration. Questions from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Jeff Merkley (D-MA) about frozen funding on research across the country prompted reassurances from Bhattacharya, who claimed he is “turning on every light switch” he can find to support scientific research. The hearing can be viewed here.