Pentagon sought to divert NIH funds for defense use, top House Appropriations Democrat says
House Democrats say the Pentagon could tap billions in NIH research money as it faces a widening budget gap, DeLauro said.
- On Thursday, Rep. Rosa DeLauro , top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, revealed that the Department of Defense is attempting to divert billions from the National Institutes of Health to cover budget shortfalls from President Donald Trump's war with Iran.
- Facing severe financial pressure six months into the Iran war, the Pentagon struggles with a widening budget gap; the Navy reported a shortfall of between $6 billion and $8 billion as Congress weighs a $95 billion supplemental spending request.
- Under a secretive interagency agreement, the Defense Department could access billions appropriated to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which has a total budget of about $6.6 billion for critical biomedical research on infectious diseases.
- Calling the attempt to "siphon" research funds "outrageous," DeLauro demanded the agreement be terminated immediately, noting the Pentagon already has separate Congressional funding for medical countermeasures against biological threats.
- NIH officials disclosed the effort only after House Appropriations Committee Democrats pressed them for information; Punchbowl News reporter Samantha Handler noted this will likely become a focus if Democrats secure the majority next Congress.
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Hawaii Tribune-Herald
The Seattle TimesPentagon agreement with NIH on biodefense draws alarm from Democrats
The Pentagon and the National Institutes of Health have signed an agreement to collaborate on biodefense and pandemic preparedness, drawing criticism from Democrats on Capitol Hill who warned that the plan could allow the Defense Department to go around Congress and gain access to billions of dollars meant for infectious disease research.
Democrats warned that this could allow the Pentagon to appropriate public funds
Pentagon Seeks To Poach Billions From Medical Grants
The Hill reports: The Pentagon is attempting to divert billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bolster the agency’s budget, according to the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in a statement Thursday said Trump administration officials only recently disclosed to Congress that the Defense Department … The post Pentagon Seeks To Poach Billions From Medical Grants appeared fir…
Docs Alarmed by NIH Plan to Redirect Medical Research $$ to Pentagon
(MedPage Today) -- Infectious disease specialists are sounding the alarm about a Trump administration plan to eliminate a clinical research unit at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Democrats in Congress say...
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