The Senate has confirmed health researcher Jay Bhattacharya as the new leader of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with a party-line vote of 53 to 47, as reported by The Hill.
Bhattacharya gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his outspoken criticism of mask mandates, school closures, and other measures aimed at curbing the virus’s spread. He was instrumental in drafting the Great Barrington Declaration, a controversial document signed by thousands of public health experts in late 2020, which advocated for achieving herd immunity by allowing the virus to circulate among lower-risk populations while protecting older, high-risk individuals. This declaration faced condemnation from federal officials, including former NIH Director Francis Collins and top COVID adviser Anthony Fauci, who labeled it dangerous and unethical.
The Stanford economist and physician has described his views as making him an outcast within the scientific community. He has expressed a commitment to leading the NIH in a manner that embraces dissent, which he believes is essential for scientific progress. “Dissent is the very essence of science. I will foster a culture where NIH leadership will actively encourage different perspectives and create an environment where scientists — including early career scientists — can express disagreement respectfully,” Bhattacharya stated during his confirmation hearing.
As the head of the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, Bhattacharya will oversee nearly $48 billion in funding distributed through approximately 50,000 grants to over 300,000 researchers at 2,500 institutions, including universities and hospitals. The NIH has faced challenges in recent years, particularly due to actions taken by the Trump administration, which included mass staff firings, grant restrictions, and funding cuts. The White House also targeted private universities, reducing their grants by $4 billion and cutting funding for initiatives addressing racial inequities and transgender care.
During his hearing, Bhattacharya acknowledged the politicization of science and public health, noting that many people have lost trust in health officials and experts. He emphasized that the NIH should support science that is “replicable, reproducible, and generalizable,” criticizing modern biomedical science for often failing to meet these standards. He also committed to following the agenda set by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to shift focus from infectious diseases to chronic illnesses. “If confirmed, I will carry out President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again and committing the NIH to address the dire chronic health needs of the country with gold-standard science and innovation,” Bhattacharya said.
In a separate development, the U.S. Senate confirmed John Phelan as the next Secretary of the Navy with a 62-30 vote. Phelan, a Florida businessman and founder of a private investment firm, is a major donor to former President Trump’s campaign. Despite lacking military experience, he garnered bipartisan support for the role. Some lawmakers expressed concerns about his lack of military service and experience managing a civilian branch of the Pentagon, but Phelan argued that his private-sector background equips him to tackle the Navy’s ongoing challenges, such as failed audits, workforce issues, cost overruns, and delays in shipbuilding.
During his confirmation hearing, Phelan highlighted the urgent need for reform within the Navy, stating, “The U.S. Navy is at a crossroads, extended deployments, inadequate maintenance, huge cost overruns, delayed shipbuilding, failed audits, subpar housing, and sadly, record high suicide rates are systemic failures that have gone unaddressed for far too long, and frankly, this is unacceptable.” He noted that the Trump administration prioritized shipbuilding, which has faced significant delays and cost overruns, particularly for submarines and large capital warships like aircraft carriers.
