In Brief
House and Senate Visions for NIH Reform
As Congress returns from the August in-district work period, we have approximately a month left in fiscal year (FY) 2024. We have covered the financial implications of the White House, House and Senate proposals over the past few months. In an unusual move, a proposal released in July by Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and integrated into the FY25 House appropriations bill by Appropriations Chair Robert Aderholt (R-AL) would institute a major overhaul of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), consolidating it’s 27 institutes and centers (ICs) into 15. As we have seen over the past few years, there has been a lot of partisan criticism over how NIH leadership operated and handled various aspects of the pandemic. Per Rodgers, the lack of transparency during COVID-19 was indicative of a growing frustration and lack of faith in the leadership and oversight of the agency.
Rodgers outlines her proposal to reestablish NIH as an elite, cutting edge scientific research agency and eliminate silos that currently exist. The first major overhaul is to limit the terms of Institute Directors to five-year terms, renewable once for a maximum of ten years. The proposal raises concerns that the current grant process is biased against innovative, riskier proposals. However, it fails to properly note that the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) was meant to specifically address those high-risk, high-reward research opportunities. Other concerns raised by Rodgers include the increasing number of research paper retractions, with more than 10,000 papers being retracted in 2023 and continued scrutiny of Gain of Function (GOF) and dual-use research of concern (DURC) projects.
The largest change being proposed is the consolidation of the ICs down to 15; a few notable consolidations important to biophysics are:
- Consolidating the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the Common Fund into the National Institute on Innovation and Advanced Research;
- Consolidating the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) into the National Institute on Body Systems Research;
- Consolidating the National Institute on General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) into the National Institute of General Medical Sciences; and
- Splitting the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) into two agencies, the National Institute on Infectious Diseases and the National Institute on the Immune System and Arthritis (NIAID budget to be split evenly between the two new Institutes).
In May, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a proposal of his own to reform NIH, though on a considerably more modest scale to Rodgers’. Cassidy framed his proposed reforms based on input from the research community and combined with the concerns raised by Congress regarding the agency. Highlighted recommendations range from:
- Ensuring balance to the NIH portfolio so that basic science isn’t overshadowed by translational and clinical research;
- Reducing redundancy between ICs;
- Incentivizing innovation;
- Supporting the biomedical research workforce;
- Restoring public trust in science through; and
- Promoting research integrity and addressing grants management and oversight shortfalls.
TAKE ACTION: Let Congress Know NIH Reforms Should be done through Regular Order
While Sen. Cassidy’s proposals involve modest incremental change, Rep. Rodgers outlines a more significant overhaul on a much tighter timeline by being incorporated into FY25 appropriations proposals. While it is unlikely that we will see a full FY25 budget until February or March of 2025, members of both the House and Senate need to be made aware that broader input from the scientific community is needed before the Rodgers’ proposal should move forward through public hearings and comment, not simply a 30-day comment window that was allowed. Take Action Now!
Applications Are Open for the Biophysical Society 2025–2026 Congressional Fellowship
Are you interested in using your science skills to inform science policy? Does spending a year working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping develop policy sound exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program is your opportunity to participate directly in the process of law-making that impacts how research is funded and regulated. This year-long opportunity provides fellows a chance to utilize their science knowledge to inform the public policy process. Fellows will gain firsthand knowledge and experience on how Congress works and participate in the esteemed AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program that provides ongoing training and networking opportunities during the fellowship year and beyond. Visit the BPS Congressional Fellowship website for more details about the program or contact Leann Fox at [email protected] or (240) 290-5606. The application deadline is December 13, 2024.