On March 17, Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), testified at an NIH oversight hearing and answered questions about grants, hiring, and women’s health. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking democrat on the committee started the hearing by noting that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had finally approved the release of FY 2026 funds for NIH the previous evening and expressing concern about how an oversight hearing still was needed to push OMB to complete the process for releasing NIH funds, enabling the agency to fund research and issue funding opportunities. Last week, during the Endocrine Society’s Researcher Hill Day, our members shared this concern with congressional offices and helped put pressure on OMB to release these funds.
Throughout the hearing, Members of Congress raised questions about NIH’s ability to distribute grant awards by the end of the fiscal year and about the hiring process to fill vacant leadership positions in the institutes and centers (ICs). Dr. Bhattacharya reassured the Committee that his staff are working expeditiously to move funds through to researchers and that he is actively involved in the interview process for IC directors. Appropriators also pressed Dr. Bhattacharya about the potential loss of early-stage investigators amid funding disruptions and how he planned to restore trust in science given concerns about political interference in grantmaking authority. The Endocrine Society was pleased to see many Committee members raising concerns we share about delays with grant funding.
The Committee also questioned the director about his dual appointment as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [The clock is ticking on how long the Trump administration has to nominate a permanent leader to the CDC under federal law. Dr. Bhattacharya is the second acting leader of the agency after the White House fired its then-director, Susan Monarez, last August over disagreements with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine policy. The administration must name a nominee to lead the CDC by next Thursday.] Committee members also expressed concerns that CDC’s operations continue should there be any gap in appointing a permanent head and Dr. Bhattacharya reassured that he is committed to making sure that happens. Both Dr. Bhattacharya and Committee members repeatedly commended CDC staff for their hard work.
TAKE ACTION: It is critical that congressional offices hear from constituents to understand where grant delays are occurring and issues preventing you from accessing or applying for funds. We urge all US-based members to join our online campaign to advocate for increased funding and protections for NIH now while Congress is engaged on this issue!
On March 16, Kyle Walsh, PhD, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and National Toxicology Program (NTP) met with the Friends of NIEHS, a coalition of research and medical professional societies, to discuss his vision and priorities for the Institute he has led since October 2025. The Endocrine Society serves as co-chair of the Friends of NIEHS.
During his remarks, Dr. Walsh shared how he aims to partner with other Institutes and Centers (ICs) and parts of the federal government to incorporate environmental health research into shared goals. For example, he is interested in working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study how environmental chemicals such as phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contribute to developmental and neurological disabilities. He also wants to collaborate with large cohort studies such as the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) cohort to study the health effects of exposures to chemicals and with the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to study microplastics exposure and health effects. Dr. Walsh was enthusiastic about the work being done across the extramural program, and in particular the Superfund Research Program and Worker Training Program as examples of great work with stories that need to be told.
The Endocrine Society thanks Dr. Walsh for sharing his insights and perspectives on the future of NIEHS and we look forward to collaborating with the Friends of NIEHS to continue to educate Congress about the important work supported by this unique and critical institute.
On March 18, the Endocrine Society joined the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) on Capitol Hill as part of a day of meetings to advocate for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). Several members of the Society, including T. Rajendra Kumar, PhD and Lorenzo Smith joined dozens of scientists from myriad disciplines, backgrounds, and professional roles to tell their stories of how disruptions to research funding have affected their work and influenced their long-term plans. Congressional offices welcomed the opportunity to speak with scientists about their work and how the Congress could ensure that the United States maintains our leadership role in scientific discovery. In addition to hearing about the need for additional funds for research, they also wanted to learn more about how the slow pace of grant announcements was affecting scientists' plans and progress at all career stages. The Endocrine Society appreciates the opportunity to partner with FASEB to amplify our advocacy for increased funding and the need to protect NIH and other federal agencies conducting scientific research.
We rely on your voice to advocate for our policy priorities. Join us to show our strength as a community that cares about endocrinology. Contact your US representatives or European Members of Parliament through our online platform. Take action and make a difference today.
