Senate confirms Jay Bhattacharya to lead the NIH in party-line vote

The Senate on Tuesday night confirmed Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institute of Health (NIH) in a 53-47 vote along party lines. 

Best known for his pioneering research on widespread COVID-19 immunity by April 2020 and vocal opposition to prolonged school closures and vaccine mandates, Bhattacharya is considered a more controversial nominee to lead a federal health agency. 

President Donald Trump nominated him last year stating that he would work alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to restore the NIH to a "gold standard of medical research."

"Jay is a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research, and a Senior Fellow by courtesy at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute, and the Hoover Institution," Trump touted in a post to Truth Social. 

The new director's confirmation comes as the Trump administration reportedly looks to close down the Health and Human Services (HHS) office devoted to researching Long COVID.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.