Morgan Griffith U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Morgan Griffith U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Reps. 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) and replace it with three new institutes: the National Institute of Allergic Diseases, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Immunologic Diseases.
Congressman Roy emphasized concerns over unchecked power within public health agencies, stating, "From the earliest days of the pandemic, public health bureaucrats proved themselves far more adept at ruining lives than saving them. Never again should a single, unaccountable government employee, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, wield unchecked power and influence over the lives of the American people."
Roy also expressed support for Jay Bhattacharya as NIH Director but noted that government structures should not rely solely on having competent individuals in office. He added that breaking up Dr. Fauci’s influence into separate agencies with Senate-confirmed directors is necessary for accountability.
Congressman Griffith highlighted his role as a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in investigating COVID-19 origins. He stated: “As a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the lead Energy and Commerce Member investigating COVID-19 origins, I aggressively pushed to examine the severe inadequacies pervading our public health institutions, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH)."
Griffith further explained that serious reforms are needed at NIH to restore trust in public health agencies. "The NIH Reform Act is a critical measure to ensure proper agency oversight of biosafety and risky research projects and improve agency accountability to the American people,” he said.
Under this act, directors for each new institute would be appointed by the president but require Senate confirmation. They would serve no more than two five-year terms.
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