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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'Beyond the pale': Pentagon caught trying to raid billions from disease research
The Pentagon was caught attempting to divert funding for infectious-disease research to cover its own money woes, sparking outcry from a Democratic lawmaker.According to reporting by Punchbowl News, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sounded the alarm on Thursday by revealing that the Department of Defense is trying to divert billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health. DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said t…
Pentagon sought to divert NIH funds for defense use, top House Appropriations Democrat says
House Democratic leader Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized a newly disclosed interagency agreement that could allow the Pentagon to access billions of dollars in biomedical research funds originally allocated to the NIH.
Exposed: Trump's 'secretive' scheme to pilfer medical research funds
On Thursday, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee revealed that the Department of Defense is attempting to divert billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health to supplement the Pentagon budget issues caused by President Donald Trump's war with Iran. This is according to a report in which ranking member Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) revealed the effort, which has been undertaken "without notifying Congress."According to the re…
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