Click here or on the image above to watch Chairman Capito’s opening remarks from the hearing. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), chaired a hearing with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to review the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request.  

Below is the opening statement of Chairman Capito as prepared for delivery: 

“Good morning. Dr. Bhattacharya, congratulations on your new role as Director of the NIH. Thank you for appearing before the subcommittee today to discuss how the fiscal year 2026 budget proposal will continue efforts from NIH to reduce illness, enhance health and lengthen the lives of all Americans. 

“My home state of West Virginia is faced with many complex health challenges. I know that if we work together, make wise investments and focus on what really matters, we can create positive momentum towards eliminating those challenges. 

“Fostering NIH collaboration with smaller and rural states is critical, and one of the strengths of the NIH IDeA Program. This program provides funding to 23 states—including West Virginia—that historically have received little to no federal research funding.  

“The IDeA program and other NIH funding streams have been instrumental for Marshall University, West Virginia University, and other institutions in my state in developing world-class research in neuroscience, cancer, stroke, vision, and addiction science. 

“Researchers throughout West Virginia are making significant contributions to biomedical research in areas ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease to substance use disorders. 

“I look forward to hosting you in West Virginia soon to see first-hand all of the amazing research being done across the state. 

“This will be a challenging year for appropriations, yet supporting biomedical research is a priority for me and has long been a bicameral, bipartisan priority for Congress.

“The United States leads the world in biomedical innovation and I, along with many of my colleagues on this committee, think it is important America remains the leader in biomedical innovation and research. Investing in biomedical research has proven to save lives while exponentially strengthening the U.S. economy. I look forward to hearing from you how this budget request would continue to advance this critical research and innovation.

“The NIH is a driver of economic growth, funding more than $94.58 billion in national economic activity last year.

“In West Virginia, NIH supported over 700 jobs and $147 million in economic activity in 2024 alone.  

“For almost a decade, this committee has supported research toward the goal of finding treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. This goal is very personal to me since both of my parents lived with and eventually succumbed to the disease.  

“These investments have allowed NIH to fund research into a wide variety of potential causes of the disease, and build evidence for prevention based on a healthy lifestyle. NIH-funded research on the amyloid protein led to the development of FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs in 2023 and 2024 to slow progression of the disease.  

“All of this research is important, and I look forward to working with you to continue robust and diversified Alzheimer's disease research. 

“NIH-funded research is also behind many of the more than 600 new cancer treatments that the FDA has approved over the last 20 years. 

“As a lead sponsor of the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, I look forward to hearing about your priorities and advancements to combat cancer and grow our clinical trial networks – especially among children. 

“Although we are making positive strides, substance abuse remains an issue in my state. I look forward to hearing more from you about how combining the National Institute on Drug Abuse into a new National Institute on Behavioral Health will enable that important work to continue.

“I have heard from many University leaders – from schools ranging in size, location, and subject – about the impact of changes being implemented at NIH. These institutions are the reason America has kept the edge in biomedical innovation.

“As with any change in leadership, there seems to be a heightened sense of concern and confusion that diverting resources from research will result in a less healthy America. And I hope today we can work to come to a better understanding. 

“We have a difficult task ahead of us this year, but it is my hope that we will come together, just as we have done in prior fiscal years, to use our limited resources in the most efficient and effective way to support the health and well-being of all Americans. 

“Dr. Bhattacharya, I look forward to your testimony.”

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