Trump’s NIH pick recounts censorship by Biden for views on COVID: ‘Science … needs free speech’

President Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health delighted Republican lawmakers Wednesday by vowing to defend freedom of speech in scientific research while fending off an onslaught of questions about Elon Musk and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, who came to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic for his opposition to widespread lockdowns and mask mandates, recounted his own experience with having his dissent throttled by the Biden administration.

“The root problem was that people who had alternative ideas were suppressed,” Bhattacharya reflected during an exchange with Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) “I personally was subject to censorship by the actions of the Biden administration during the pandemic.”

“Science, to succeed, needs free speech,” he added. “It needs an environment where there’s tolerance for dissent.”

During the thick of the pandemic, the Biden administration exerted pressure on social media companies to target certain posts and users that it claimed were spreading information detrimental to public health.

The so-called “Twitter Files,” which Musk pushed the company to release after taking over the platform in late 2022, revealed that Bhattacharya’s account was one of those marked on the “trends blacklist.”

Bhattacharya, an epidemiologist at Stanford University, later joined a lawsuit against the Biden administration alleging that it trampled on free speech by colluding with Big Tech companies and pressing them to censor content. The US Supreme Court has since rejected the lawsuit on the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked standing.

The NIH nominee also stressed the importance of scientists showing humility and deferring to policymakers when it comes to key issues.

“Science should be an engine for freedom,” Bhattacharya said. “Not something where it stands on top of society and says, ‘You must do this, this or this, or else.’”

Bhattacharya noted that he took the COVID-19 vaccine but ripped into the mandates that many scientific experts lobbied for during the midst of the outbreak and cited it as an example of why public trust in scientific consensus has waned.

Pointing to Florida as an example of a “tremendous success” during the pandemic, Bhattacharya contended that the Sunshine State was a model because of its open-minded approach to the highly contagious respiratory illness.

Looming over Bhattacharya’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee were the machinations of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team as well as Kennedy, who was sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Services last month.

Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, kicked off questioning by pressing Bhattacharya for his thoughts on dubious theories linking autism to vaccines. Bhattacharya agreed with Cassidy’s assessment that there was no link but left the door open to funding studies examining the question because other scientists may disagree with his conclusion.

“That’s life,” Cassidy shot back. “There’s people who disagree that the world is round.”

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) followed up with questions about Bhattacharya’s concerns with vaccine safety again referenced Kennedy.

“[Based on] my interactions with Senator Kennedy, he’s sincerely committed to making sure that every health need of this country is met, in terms of infectious diseases, in terms of a few other things,” Bhattacharya replied.

Bhattacharya also admitted to having reservations about COVID-19 vaccines for men and mentioned myocarditis — heart muscle inflammation — as a key concern of his.

Several senators also grilled Bhattacharya about DOGE-inspired cuts to NIH. Last month, DOGE announced plans to cap overhead costs on grants at 15%, which it estimated could save $4 billion annually.

That prompted bipartisan concern that it could cripple biomedical research.

Ranking member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) suggested that Bhattacharya isn’t the one the senators need to press on that issue.

“All due respect, Dr. Bhattacharya, President Trump will not be giving you that authority,” Sanders chided. “That authority will rest with Mr. Elon Musk.”

Bhattacharya fielded questions from several senators, such as Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) about the NIH cap, which a federal judge temporarily put on pause.

“I will follow the law,” the nominee explained at one point. “My commitment is to make sure that every single researcher at the NIH, every single researcher supported by NIH money has the resources they need.”

NIH oversees a budget of roughly $48 billion, which is used to dole out grants for scientific research across the country.