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Good morning and happy Friday. I hope you’ve got great long weekend plans ahead. But first, scroll down to read about a Senate hearing on the NIH, a Supreme Court death penalty decision, and two related items on confusion around STIs.
Bhattacharya grilled at Senate hearing
When National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday, the focus was supposed to be on the agency’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year. But first, senators had questions about more immediate concerns.
Kicking off the meeting, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) disclosed that the acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease had stepped down from his role. Amid the hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks, the lack of leadership sparked concerns for the committee. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) posed: “With less funding, and fewer staff, and stalled research, can you credibly tell us that we are better prepared for public health threats than we were a year ago?”
