House LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee Holds NIH Budget Hearing
On November 19, the House Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee invited Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the Hill for a budget hearing. Normally, these hearings are scheduled prior to the appropriations bills being written—typically in the spring—but the House Appropriations Committee released their LHHS bill in July without holding a single hearing (see COSSA’s analysis here). Despite the unusual sequence of events, Chairman Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) were interested in the NIH’s budget and investments, and how to restore trust in science.
Chairman Aderholt, having led efforts around NIH reform alongside Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) in the House Energy and Commerce Committee (see previous COSSA coverage), expressed disappointment in the results of a request for information that proposed to collapse the NIH institutes and centers from 27 to 15, indicating that the research community was resistant to change. In response to his concerns, Dr. Bertagnolli reiterated the importance of having institutes for a broad range of diseases and illnesses, indicating that it provides representation for communities affected. Further, Bertagnolli emphasized that cooperation between the institutes for cross-cutting research is a priority for the agency. To this end, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) cited that “over 80% of Americans trust in basic science research,” and encouraged passing the final appropriations bills before the end of the year, indicating that she does not support reform of the NIH through the appropriations process.
Attention turned to the incoming Administration’s plans, including remarks from Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), about the effects of dismissing 600 NIH employees and halting disease research, as indicated by President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kenney Jr. Bertagnolli underscored the value of the NIH’s workforce, not only in their knowledge of the medical disciplines but the industry, referring to their knowledge as “priceless” and indicating that the loss of staff would be detrimental to the agency. Further, when questioned about the Trump Administration’s intent to halt all infectious disease research as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she indicated that it would be harmful to the public and result in a great loss of life.
Finally, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) urged his colleagues to commit to holding more appropriations hearings for fiscal year (FY) 2026 following the lack of hearings held on the FY 2025 budget, including hearings with directors of individual NIH institutes and on topical issues, such as paylines for researchers. As for FY 2025, it remains unclear whether Congress will finish its work on the appropriations bills by the end of the year or extend the continuing resolution (CR) to March, which is being pushed by House Speaker Mike Johnson. Regardless, NIH is expected to be a topic of much discussion in the upcoming Administration and Congress.
A recording of the hearing can be found here.