NIH director grilled by both parties for proposed research budget cuts

Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee grilled National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya on Tuesday morning regarding President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget that would slash funding for the premier biomedical research agency.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), among other Republicans, joined Democratic colleagues in decrying Bhattacharya’s support for Trump’s proposal, which could cut NIH funding by $19 billion, roughly 40% of the agency’s current operating budget.