According to familiar sources, the government’s Ministry of Efficiency held a marathon meeting with employees on Sunday at the National Institutes of Health to gather information on further potential reductions at the Institute.

The meeting continued on Monday.

Additionally, several health agencies’ probation employees (employees who have not yet occupied the role of a 1-3 year probation period) have recently ended, exempting people in important roles. Even after the firing and voluntary acquisition of probation employees, the HHS agency has more full-time employees than its fiscal year prior to Covid-19 outbreak, and Andrew, Communications Director, Health and Human Services Nixon said: ; NIH still has 1,312 full-time employees. The CDC also has 1,224 full-time employees than in pre-pandemic years.

Doge, led by high-tech entrepreneurs and special government employee Elon Musk, has dramatically cut federal spending across the agency.

Increases in the NIH budget are typically supported by both parties at Capitol Hill. Strong stakeholders such as universities that absorb some of the NIH grants, and the pharmaceutical industry that benefits from basic research supported by the NIH; lobby In Expenditure Invoice Decide on NIH funding.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the role of NIH in funding research into high-risk gain-of-function research, namely research that increases the fatality and contagiousness of pathogens – and the potential of such research in Covid-19. I lit the eyedropper light to play the role. Congressional investigators have it Uncovered regulations have expired NIH has been able to export high-risk coronavirus virology to the Uhan Virology Institute. Musk himself has it Publicly criticized EcoHealth Alliance, NIH contractors for these coronavirus research projects at Wuhan.

Despite the scandal, NIH The budget has increased It’s a small increase after adjusting for inflation, from $39 billion in 2019 to $50 billion in 2025.

Two NIH insiders leave

The prospects for further layoffs at the NIH follow two famous departure news from the lab.

NIH staff announces retirement of 73-year-old former acting director Lawrence Tabak February 12thaccording to reports. February 13th, NIH’s acting director Matthew Memory announcement Michael Lauer, deputy director of foreign research at the National Institutes of Health, will also retire.

Though barely reported in the Legacy Press, both Tabak and Lauer have long been a central role in behind the scenes discussions about the relationship between the NIH and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Tabak was aware of personal discussion among NIH leaders in 2020 about how to manage emails obtained through the NIH Thailand, parliamentary investigation. The Freedom of Information Act is shown.

Tabak joined a communication On February 1, 2020, Francis Collins, then NIH director, Anthony Foursey, then director of the Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Francis Collins, a virologist, condemned the media’s so-called “laborek theory.” It helped me to do.

“I wonder if there is something that NIH can do to help put this very destructive plot,” Collins wrote on April 16, 2020 in relation to the Lab Leak Theory. Tabaku is It has been copied to email.

Republicans won a majority in the House in November 2022, giving lawmakers a small gavel on committees with NIH oversight. But Fauci announced him Resignation in December 2022. Collins had resigned as NIH director by December 2021.

Tabak was left to testify on the acquisition of function research policy under oath before Congress Fauci and Collins defend. [Related: NIH Quietly Altered Definition For Gain-Of-Function Research On Its Website, Former Fauci Aide Confirms]

The heational National Institutes of Health is acknowledging funding for gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China 🚨

@Repdlesko: “Did the NIH fund research that worked through the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s eco-health?”

Dr. Tabak: “If you’re talking about general terminology, yes, we did.” pic.twitter.com/cnbfx2tuzq

– Select subcommittee for the coronavirus pandemic (@covidselect) May 16, 2024

Meanwhile, Lauer is leading In the end, the investigation failed. to the EcoHealth Alliance and Wuhan Institute of Virology within the NIH. The investigation began in April 2020 at the request of White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows months after the study first attracted the attention of NIH insiders like Tabak.

Letter from Lauer I sought information Lab Notebooks are ongoing as a prerequisite for reviving funded activities in the Wuhan Institute of Virology, seeking genomic data and lab notebooks for lab notebooks. EcoHealth’s NIAID Grant.

Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, was unable to provide information.

Lauer I was asked Whether he saw a similar situation by Congressional investigators with the grantee or subgrantie who refuses to hand over the lab notebook.

“Yes, I saw that,” he replied. “Investigating scientific misconduct, we have seen that lab notebooks and other original files have been requested and those involved have said they have lost them and that they don’t have them.”

Still, EcoHealth’s Niaid Grant is back By April 2023.

“We decided when we couldn’t solve the WIV record issue.” Lauer said Congressional investigator.

Congressional investigators revealed that Daszak did not force Uhan’s colleagues to be forced on him for the information Lauer wanted. Forwarding emails To the subcontractor lab.

The Department of Health and Human Services, prompted by the findings revealed by the Congressional investigation, banned the organization on January 17, 2025. Action introduction memoHHS said EcoHealth only recognized the severity of the issue if the violation proceedings began in May 2024.

“The EHA appeared to be aware of the seriousness of the HHS and the concerns of the NIH over the suspension and proposal in May 2024. Reading notes.

Tabak and Lauer did not respond to requests for comment.

Biodefense Boondoggle

In addition to major changes within the NIH’s office in Bethesda, Maryland, the NIH has implemented a slash “indirect” NIH. This is the percentage of out-of-air NIH grants available for overhead at universities, hospitals and labs.

Parliament Democrats And even a few Republican lawmakers It says that the so-called “indirect” cap at a rate of 15% implemented by the NIH can have a negative impact on health and scientific institution employment and firing.

$900 million for $35 billion, which was used last year by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for administrative overhead known as “indirect costs.” Today, the NIH has lowered that research institutions with the largest indirect cost rate can charge the government at 15%… pic.twitter.com/fsuypegksr

– NIH (@nih) February 7, 2025

Meanwhile, the government’s accountability office has an independent government watchdog repetition Flag included Inadequate monitoring of these funds.

NIH funding nearly doubled between 1998 and 2003. Parliamentary Research Services.

The surge coincided with an increased focus on biological fence studies following the 9/11 charcoal thrax attack. In the Bush administration’s budget request in 2003, Biodefense funds outweighed breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke and tuberculosis. Reports from the same period.

Some scientists today argue that the work of certain living fences may resemble generations of biological ages from the viewpoint of hostile countries. However, since its early biode fence boom, the US has made a comprehensive analysis of whether the number of US high security labs meets or exceeds needs, and whether research risks outweigh benefits. there is no. Gao.

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