Hill Country Chronicle

Representatives Chip Roy and Morgan Griffith have reintroduced the NIH Reform Act, aiming to restructure the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The proposed legislation seeks to dismantle the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) into three separate entities: the National Institute of Allergic Diseases, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Immunologic Diseases.

Congressman Roy expressed concerns about unchecked power within public health agencies. "From the earliest days of the pandemic, public health bureaucrats proved themselves far more adept at ruining lives than saving them," he stated. He emphasized that no single government employee should wield excessive influence over American lives, citing Dr. Anthony Fauci as an example. Roy supports Jay Bhattacharya for NIH Director but believes structural changes are necessary to ensure accountability.

Griffith, a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, highlighted inadequacies in public health institutions during his investigations into COVID-19 origins. "Through my investigative work, it is clear to me that serious reforms are needed at NIH to resolve these inadequacies and restore Americans’ trust in our public health agencies," he said. He considers the NIH Reform Act crucial for improving agency oversight and accountability.

The act proposes that directors of each new institute be appointed by the president, subject to Senate confirmation, with terms limited to two five-year periods.