The House health appropriations committee, which controls funding for the National Institutes of Health, on July 12 proposed a $1.1 billion funding lift for the agency, despite calls from the White House to slash $5.8 billion from it, reported The Hill.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle opposed the proposed cuts to the NIH. In late May, Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said, "I don't think it's a wise choice," according to the report.
"I certainly understand wanting to plus up defense, but you have to remember part of defending the American people is protecting them from pandemics," Mr. Cole, the chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies subcommittee, said. "Part of getting hold of the long-term expenses of the federal government is dealing with things like Alzheimer's."