Yesterday, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito engaged in a discussion with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. The session was held to examine the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request.
Senator Capito, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), raised several points concerning health research priorities.
Regarding Alzheimer’s research, Senator Capito expressed the need for advancements in detection and treatment: “We very much want to see the innovation in detection, diagnosis, and treatment move forward. And I hope that as you’re setting the priorities and we set them with you, you know that this is a top priority for many of us who are here, and me in particular.”
The senator also highlighted disparities in cancer treatment access due to the lack of National Cancer Institute (NCI) designations in certain states: “If you have a designated cancer center or a National Cancer Institute in and around where you live, your ability to access treatments, your success rate and early interventions are so much better… How would you close that gap for underrepresentation in the cancer institutes?”
Lastly, she addressed opioid addiction research funding: “The last question I have is on…the opioid addiction research. This is a growing issue… Dr. Rezai in our state is using low intensity focus ultrasound to restructure the way that the brain reacts to certain stimuli. How does your budget prioritize continuing to invest in addiction treatment?”
