NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, who also serves as the CDC's executive director, attended an oversight hearing Tuesday before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Welfare, and Education.[3][5] According to an analysis by Johns Hopkins University researchers, the NIH awarded 74% fewer new competitive grants in the middle of fiscal year 2026 compared to the middle of the 2021-2024 period.[3] Bhattacharya assured committee members that the NIH would spend its entire $48.7 billion budget by the end of the fiscal year.[3] The President's FY 2026 budget proposal calls for $18-$19 billion in cuts, roughly a 40% savings, and restructuring from 27 to 8 institutes and centers.[1][2] Bhattacharya called the proposal a starting point for negotiations with Congress and emphasized the priority of preventing chronic diseases.[1][2] In fiscal year 2025, over 2,000 grants were canceled or frozen, with only half later reinstated, and grants to universities fell by more than 90%.[4] The National Cancer Institute did not award any grants that year.[4] Bhattacharya answered questions about the impact of the cuts and the 15% cap on indirect costs.[1][2]