Health Care — Trump's NIH pick faces senators

Presented by The Coalition to Strengthen America's Healthcare — Senators on Wednesday pressed Trump's pick to head the National Institutes of Health about his stances on vaccines and recent firings at the agency.  

View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY THE COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA'S HEALTHCARE  The Big Story  Trump pick for NIH faces senators Senators pressed Trump's pick to head the National Institutes of Health about his stances on vaccines and recent firings. © AP If confirmed, Jay Bhattacharya woud lead the largest backer of biomedical research in the world.   NIH funds nearly $48 billion in scientific research through about 50,000 grants to more than 300,000 researchers at 2,500 hospitals, universities and other institutions.     A few takeaways from the hearing:     1. Bhattacharya 'convinced' vaccines don't cause autism but open to more research on the matter    Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La) asked Bhattacharya if he believed there is connection between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. He mentioned the recent outbreak of measles cases in Texas that has resulted in the death of one unvaccinated child.     Bhattacharya said he thinks NIH has "good data" on the MMR vaccine and does not believe there is a link between the vaccine and autism.    But, he added, he supports the agency funding more research into trying to figure out why autism cases are increasing in the U.S. and if vaccines are related to any rise.   2. Supports reinstating ban on aborted fetal tissue use in NIH research      Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Bhattacharya if he would support the reinstatement of a policy enacted during Trump's first term that barred NIH funds from being used to purchase aborted fetal tissue for research.   Bhattacharya said he would follow Trump and head of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s lead on the matter, adding he believes NIH should make sure products of science are "ethically acceptable to everyone."    Many in the scientific community consider the use of fetal tissue or cells derived from fetal tissue critical for biomedical research, and some vaccines have been developed with the help of cell lines created from fetal cells.   3. Shied away from speaking on NIH firings, grant freeze    Senators asked Bhattacharya if he supported the Trump administration's recent firing of NIH staff and grant freezes. He did not give a direct answer and instead repeatedly said he was not involved in those decisions.     "I was not involved in those decisions and if I get confirmed as NIH director I fully commit to making sure that all the scientists at the NIH and the scientists the NIH supports have all the resources they need to meet the mission of the NIH," he said.    Read more here. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. A MESSAGE FROM THE COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA'S HEALTHCARE  Protect Medicaid for American children and their families  Medicaid funding cuts pose a significant threat to families with young children, seniors, veterans and patients in rural areas.  Medicaid helps keep American families healthy at every stage of life. Learn more.   Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Republicans need to cut Medicaid to hit budget savings target, CBO finds Republicans can't achieve their goal of slashing $2 trillion in federal spending over the next decade without cutting Medicaid, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  In a report released Wednesday, CBO found that the government spends $381 billion on programs other than Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that are under the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee. …  Full Story Kennedy's push for vitamins in response to measles outbreak worries physicians Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s rhetoric on Texas's measles outbreak is concerning physicians, who fear his public guidance is misguided and verges on being dangerous as he promotes vitamins and steroids as ways of treating infections.  The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) says 159 measles cases have been identified, including one unvaccinated child who died last week shortly …  Full Story 5 takeaways as Trump's contrarian NIH pick faces senators President Trump's pick to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH) faced questions from senators Wednesday on his plans for vaccine research, ideas for pushing down drug prices, and response to recent firings and funding cuts at the agency.  Jay Bhattacharya appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for his confirmation hearing, with Trump's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, …  Full Story On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: Marty Makary, President Trump's pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, will get a confirmation hearing Thursday. Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Bills to address healthcare shortages await committee hearings (Source New Mexico)  New group calls for testing medical cannabis in Maine (Spectrum News)  Dysentery cases on the rise in the Portland area: 40 new cases reported in January alone (USA Today)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Volunteers revive pre-Trump CDC website (Axios)  State Department further scrutinizes foreign aid for DEI, climate and transgender projects (Politico)  Judge issues preliminary injunction blocking Trump cuts to NIH research overhead payments (Stat)  A MESSAGE FROM THE COALITION TO STRENGTHEN AMERICA'S HEALTHCARE  Protect Medicaid for American children and their families  Medicaid funding cuts pose a significant threat to families with young children, seniors, veterans and patients in rural areas.  Medicaid helps keep American families healthy at every stage of life. Learn more.   What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Supreme Court denies Trump administration request to cancel $2 billion in foreign aid  The Supreme Court in a 5-4 emergency ruling Wednesday refused to halt a judge's decision ordering the Trump administration to immediately release nearly … Read more GOP senators to Musk: DOGE actions will require their votes Republican senators told tech billionaire Elon Musk at a closed-door meeting Wednesday that his aggressive moves to shrink the federal government will … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Everyday Americans, not executives, will feel the pain of Medicaid cuts Taking shots at vaccines has deadly consequences   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? 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