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“American health is going backwards," Bhattacharya at Senate confirmation
Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University and a longtime critic of pandemic-era lockdowns, presented his vision for restoring trust in American biomedical science.
Jay Bhattacharya. / senate.gov
President Trump's nominee for Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Jay Bhattacharya, told the Senate Health Committee on March. 5 that the United States is facing a worsening public health crisis.
"American health is going backwards," he warned, citing stagnant life expectancy, rising chronic diseases, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also read: Trump's NIH pick Bhattacharya's challenges to include research funding cuts
During his opening statement, Bhattacharya emphasized the urgency of tackling what he called a "chronic disease crisis," pointing to the millions of Americans suffering from obesity, heart disease, and cancer. "Life expectancy flatlined between 2012 and 2019, plummeted during the pandemic, and still has not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels," he noted.
If confirmed, he pledged to focus NIH research on reversing these trends, saying, "I will carry out President Trump and Secretary Kennedy’s agenda of committing the NIH to address the dire chronic health needs of the country with gold standard science and innovation."
Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University and a longtime critic of pandemic-era lockdowns, presented his vision for restoring trust in American biomedical science.
"Post-pandemic, American biomedical sciences are at a crossroads," he said, pointing to a November 2024 Pew study showing that public confidence in scientists had plummeted, with only 26 percent of Americans expressing strong trust in the field. "The NIH must make its work worthy of public trust again," he stated.
A key part of his plan involves improving research integrity, citing concerns over the reliability of NIH-funded studies. He referenced a recent research scandal in Alzheimer’s disease, where faulty data influenced hundreds of studies. "If the data generated by scientists is not reliable, the products of such science cannot help anyone," he said, arguing that weak research standards have slowed progress in treating major diseases.
Bhattacharya also pledged to foster open scientific debate within the NIH, criticizing past leadership for stifling dissent. "Over the last few years, top NIH officials oversaw a culture of cover-up, obfuscation, and a lack of tolerance for ideas that differed from theirs," he said. "Dissent is the very essence of science." He promised to create an environment where scientists—including early-career researchers and those with opposing views—could freely challenge prevailing theories.
His nomination has sparked both support and controversy. Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed widespread lockdowns during the pandemic and called for focused protection of vulnerable populations while allowing broader societal reopening.
The declaration was condemned by many in the public health community, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and the World Health Organization, who argued that its approach risked unnecessary deaths.
If confirmed, Bhattacharya would oversee the NIH’s $50 billion budget and 27 research institutes, at a time when funding priorities, pandemic preparedness, and public trust in science remain key concerns.
The Senate Health Committee will now deliberate on his confirmation before it moves to a full Senate vote.
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