Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
House Democrats press HHS secretary on NIH cuts and whether administration will obligate congressionally appropriated funds
Summary
Members demanded assurances that the department will obligate FY2024/2025 NIH funds and raised concerns about large proposed reductions to biomedical research spending; Secretary Kennedy said, “If you appropriate the money, I'm gonna spend that money.”
Members of the House Appropriations Committee pressed Secretary Kennedy about reductions to NIH funding and whether the administration would obligate funds Congress already appropriated for biomedical research.
Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro said members' analysis shows NIH research funding has been cut and asked directly whether Kennedy was freezing or withholding life‑saving NIH funds. In repeated exchanges she stressed that the power of the purse resides with Congress and that any impoundment would be unlawful.
Secretary Kennedy responded directly to the committee's question about obligating…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
