Aderholt Remarks at Oversight Hearing on National Institutes of Health

Good morning. Today we welcome Doctor Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health, to our subcommittee. Dr. Bhattacharya was confirmed as the NIH director nearly a year ago, and since then he has been busy implementing the Trump administration’s priorities to advance NIH’s mission of conducting basic research and applying those discoveries to improve human health.

Dr. Bhattacharya joined took the helm at NIH at an important inflection point. NIH-funded research has made the U.S. the world leader in biomedical scientific research. Over decades, this research has resulted in breakthrough cures, treatments, and other advancements that have saved or improved countless American lives.

Unfortunately, though, the American public’s trust in scientific institutions such as the NIH was eroded significantly during the pandemic. Restoring this trust has been a key goal under this administration and of Director Bhattacharya. Part of this is ensuring Americans see the tangible benefits of the investments the Federal government makes in NIH-supported research, rather than research findings just sitting on a shelf and never being utilized. I look forward to hearing more about NIH’s efforts to ensure that at the end of the day, NIH-funded research is leading to measurable improvements in Americans’ lives. Science can be incremental, but in keeping with NIH’s distinguished record of biomedical advancements, our research investments must ultimately translate to better health outcomes, such as new treatments, therapies, or cures that improve health outcomes.

Another part of restoring that trust is establishing trust in the research itself. So, it is encouraging that NIH has been exploring ways to encourage the scientific community to validate – or replicate – scientific findings. 

In line with the Trump Administration’s goal of making Americans healthy again, NIH has also renewed its focus on addressing chronic illnesses affecting Americans. We all know someone affected by heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases are costly for our health care system, and they take a tremendous toll on individuals and their families. Increasing our understanding of these illnesses and advancing new treatments, preventive measures, and cures could have profound benefits for so many.

As stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have the responsibility to ensure NIH funding supports rigorous science that produces meaningful results. In Fiscal Year 2026, Congress increased the NIH budget by $415 million, including important areas of research such as cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease. We look forward to working with NIH as it implements this funding in accordance with Congressional intent. 

Director Bhattacharya, I look forward to continuing to work with you to productively advance our shared priorities and to leverage the investments in NIH that will lead to better health outcomes for Americans. I would now like to yield to the ranking member, the gentlelady from Connecticut, for her opening remarks.