Sudanese starve as soup kitchens close down and warring parties block aid
The United States’ decision to suspend foreign aid is exacerbating a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan, where millions risk dying from malnutrition-related illnesses. Since assuming office in January, US President Donald Trump’s administration has put on leave or fired the vast majority of employees at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and paused almost all of the global projects it funds. Last year, USAID contributed 44 percent to Sudan’s $1.8bn humanitarian response, according to the United Nations. A portion of this sum went to supporting Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), which are neighbourhood relief groups that support hundreds of “community kitchens” across the country. “About 80 percent of the 1,460 community kitchens across Sudan were shut down [when USAID paused all funding],” said Hajooj Kuka, the spokesperson for the ERRs in Khartoum state. Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers distribute meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, July 27, 2024 [File: Mazin Alrasheed/Reuters] Filling the gap Since a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into civil war in April 2023, communal kitchens have kept hundreds of thousands of people alive in regions where UN agencies and global relief organisations are unable to reach due to the wilful obstruction of aid by the warring parties, according to local and foreign relief workers. Advertisement Despite the efforts of ERR volunteers, more than 600,000 people in Sudan are coping with famine levels of hunger and some eight million are on the verge of slipping into famine, according to the global hunger monitor, the UN Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The pause in USAID funding now risks compounding the hunger crisis. According to Iyad Agha, the humanitarian coordinator for international nongovernmental organisations in Sudan, some organisations obtained waivers from the US government to continue administering life-saving services. However, many of these services were eventually terminated after a subsequent review by the US determined that they were not necessary to sustain life. Days later, the Trump administration reversed some terminations and permitted some services to resume. Agha said Washington’s decisions appear to be “completely random”. “NGOs are paralysed and don’t know how to proceed amidst the chaos and confusion and the affected people [who need aid in Sudan] are the most impacted by all of this chaos,” he told Al Jazeera. “The problem is that if some other donors want to step in [for the absence of USAID] there is [a large gap] to fulfil,” Agha added. ERRs have taken matters into their own hands to find alternative funding. Kuka said that community kitchens have solicited funding from the Sudanese diaspora and smaller charitable organisations in order to keep providing meals to beleaguered civilians during the holy month of Ramadan, which began earlier in March. Advertisement Their efforts have helped hundreds of community kitchens to reopen across the country, yet 63 percent remain shuttered since the US government paused most foreign aid, said Kuka. “There is only so much we can do. There simply isn’t enough food for people,” he told Al Jazeera. “But we have started an online drive for people to donate and during Ramadan, people tend to donate more during this time,” he added. Impediments and looting Both sides in Sudan’s civil war are responsible for generating the hunger crisis, say local and foreign relief workers. One issue cited by some relief workers is that UN agencies recognise the Sudanese army as the de facto government. This policy has empowered the army to approve or deny aid shipments coming across the borders from neighbouring countries such as Chad and South Sudan, which the army does not control. Critics previously told Al Jazeera that humanitarians should work with the relevant authorities in each area of Sudan in order to reach as many needy people as possible. In addition, UN agencies that treat the army as the de facto government are required to base all humanitarian operations out of Port Sudan, which makes it logistically difficult to reach faraway regions such as the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan and the sprawling region of Darfur. A banner of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), stands in Omdurman, Sudan with the words ‘the people are with you’ written beneath his image [Sara Creta/EPA] The army is also accused of imposing bureaucratic impediments to obstruct and delay aid shipments. Advertisement “The army’s procedures are very cumbersome. It’s a mountain of paperwork,” explained Leni Kinzli, the spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP). “We have to deal with the different authorities: military intelligence, the Humanitarian Aid Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Intelligence Services and National Intelligence Services. “Basically, for any [aid truck to move], we need to get a stamp from all of those agencies,” she told Al Jazeera. Analysts and relief workers also accuse the SAF of prohibiting aid to regions under RSF control. But army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah has repeatedly denied this accusation and criticised the RSF for starving civilians. Hind al-Atif, the spokesperson for the ERR in Sharq el-Nile, a sprawling neighbourhood in Khartoum, accused the RSF of exacerbating the hunger crisis. She said that the group looted all the main markets in Khartoum ahead of Ramadan and that many civilians are hesitant to leave their neighbourhoods to look for food out of fear that they could be attacked at RSF checkpoints. “People are scared to flee because the RSF often robs people of their money and phones,” she told Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera contacted the RSF’s press office for comment on allegations that its fighters are robbing civilians at gunpoint and looting markets, but the group did not respond before publication. Insecurity and starvation As fighting escalates between the RSF and Sudanese army, local relief groups and aid agencies are finding it increasingly difficult to reach beleaguered civilians. 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US confirms direct talks with Hamas over Gaza captives
Talks come as Israel continues to block supplies of humanitarian aid into Gaza after first phase of ceasefire expired. The United States is engaging in direct talks with Hamas as negotiations on a ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian armed group and Israel are hanging by a thread. “These are ongoing talks and discussions, I’m not going to detail them here, there are American lives at stake,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday, confirming a report by Axios media outlet that talks between the two sides were taking place. “Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president has proven is what he believes is [a] good faith, effort to do what’s right for the American people,” Leavitt said. Adam Boehler, Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, participated in the direct talks with Hamas. A Hamas official cited by the AFP news agency confirmed the negotiations over Israeli-US captives held in Gaza. The US had previously publicly refused direct contact with the Palestinian group since banning them as a “terrorist” organisation in 1997. Advertisement Israel said it had been consulted by the US on the direct talks. Israeli officials say about 24 living captives – including Edan Alexander, an American citizen – as well as the bodies of at least 35 others are believed to still be held in Gaza. Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from Jordan, said the two sides discussed captives held in Gaza. “We understand it’s in order to secure the retrieval of the bodies of Israeli-American captives who are still being held in Gaza and one Israeli captive with US citizenship who is believed to be alive. “The Americans are saying that their envoys have the power to negotiate with anyone, and it’s not just over the captives who hold American citizenship, it’s also for an end to the war,” she said. Fragile truce Confirmation of the talks comes days after the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire expired, with Israel pushing for an extension while Hamas insists on progressing to the second phase of the deal agreed in January. The first phase saw Hamas release 33 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing more than 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Israel has said the proposal to extend the first phase of the truce was drafted by the US envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. The new plan would require Hamas to release half its remaining captives in exchange for a ceasefire extension and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce. Israel made no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners – a key component of the first phase. Advertisement Aid blocked After the first phase expired, Israel on Sunday suspended humanitarian aid deliveries, including fuel, aid and medicine, into Gaza, as the government aims to put pressure on Hamas to accept the new terms – a move that the Palestinian group slammed as a violation of the original deal. France, the United Kingdom and Germany on Wednesday warned Israel against using aid as a “political tool”, calling on it to ensure the “unhindered” delivery of humanitarian supplies to the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave. “We call on the government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza,” the countries said in a joint statement. “A halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza such as that announced by the government of Israel would risk violating international humanitarian law,” they said. “Humanitarian aid should never be contingent on a ceasefire or used as a political tool.” The three European nations described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic”. Adblock test (Why?)
Can Egypt’s plan for Gaza backed by Arab League become reality?
Summit follows US President Donald Trump’s beach resort plan. Arab leaders have approved Egypt’s plan for Gaza’s future – including major reconstruction and elections. This follows US President Donald Trump’s proposal to forcibly expel Palestinians and turn Gaza into a US-controlled beach resort. Can the Arab nations’ plan become reality? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Ori Goldberg – Political commentator Mansour Shouman – Middle East political analyst Stephen Zunes – Professor of politics and founding chairman of the Middle Eastern Studies programme at the University of San Francisco Adblock test (Why?)
Texas may change how schools select library books. Critics say it could lead to more bans.
Senate Bill 13 would create school library advisory councils largely made up of parents. It would give school boards, rather than librarians, the final say over new books.
Blue state GOP lawmaker goes viral for exposing state’s spending proposals: ‘People were appalled’
Debates over the Golden State’s spending practices continue to make waves nationwide, and one California Republican lawmaker is going viral as a result. Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, was one of several Republican lawmakers removed or shifted from their committee assignments by the state house speaker last week, but DeMaio believes his removal from the budget committee after only two hearings was deliberate. “You may have removed me from the budget committee, but you will not deter me from getting the truth out to the taxpayers in California about your wasteful spending and your money laundering of taxpayer money to far left-wing political groups,” DeMaio told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We will expose you, and we will allow the public to decide whether that’s what they want to see happen with their money,” he added. LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS RECALL EFFORT LAUNCHES A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas’ office told Fox News Digital the speaker “routinely address[es] committee needs throughout the year, and his goal is to always ensure members are in optimal roles to collaborate effectively and deliver for Californians.” According to KCRA, Republicans have retained vice chair roles, and some Democrats were also booted off committees in the process. Democrats have argued that the behavior of some Republicans in hearings is a distraction curated for social media and defeats the purpose of meetings. In recent weeks, DeMaio has gone viral for his questioning of California officials, particularly when it comes to the state’s budget. He prompted an answer from a state budget official revealing that $9.5 billion is being spent on MediCal for illegal immigrants, which is higher than a previous $6 billion projection. “They were embarrassed. It made national news. People were appalled across the state of California so much money is going to illegal immigrants just for healthcare,” DeMaio said. He also suggested the state enlist Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to help improve processes in the state. DeMaio is also making the case that a “COVID-19 workplace outreach” program is being used to back left-leaning groups that do political work outside the scope of its namesake, according to the California Globe. SKYROCKETING HEALTHCARE COSTS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SPARKS BORDER STATE OUTCRY “In 2025, we are actually still spending $25 million in taxpayer money on a COVID-19 workplace education program. Isn’t that so 2020? This is completely unnecessary,” he said. The scrutiny comes amid an ongoing debate about the Golden State’s overall financial health for the upcoming fiscal year as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office argues his proposal is balanced, while Republicans believe it will run up a deficit. “The budget I present to you today builds on a framework that balanced the books over two years instead of just one — an unprecedented effort to address the budget shortfall we faced. However, work remains to ensure California’s finances remain in order in the years to come,” Newsom said in a statement in January. FEDS BUST MASSIVE ALLEGED GUATEMALAN HUMAN SMUGGLING RING OPERATING OUT OF CALIFORNIA CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite the mix of praise and backlash, DeMaio believes it’s important to put a spotlight on the Golden State. “The reason why all Americans should be carefully watching what’s going on in California is that the bad ideas coming to your state actually usually get their start in California,” DeMaio said. “They use California as a petri dish for their far left-wing extremist ideas, and then they export these bad ideas to other states, and they claim that it’s successful out here.”
Resolution punishing Al Green clears Dem blockade, advances to House-wide vote after Trump speech
A resolution to reprimand Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, survived a procedural hurdle late Wednesday afternoon, teeing the measure up for a House-wide vote. Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., introduced a censure resolution against the Texas Democrat earlier in the day amid widespread GOP anger at Democrats who protested President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday. Democrats pushed for a vote to table the resolution, which would have effectively killed it. But it failed to pass, and a vote on the measure itself is expected sometime this week. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CONCLUDES REMARKS AFTER DECLARING ‘AMERICA’S MOMENTUM IS BACK’ Fox News Digital was told that Newhouse had been in contact with House GOP leadership about his resolution since Trump’s speech ended last night. There had been multiple resolutions circulating among House Republicans to censure Green for interrupting Trump’s speech, but Newhouse’s appears to be the measure with House GOP leaders’ blessing. “I believe it is the first one out of the gate,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, told reporters on Wednesday morning. “I think [Green’s protest is] unprecedented. Certainly in the modern era. It wasn’t an excited utterance. It was a, you know, planned, prolonged protest.” The 77-year-old Democrat was removed from Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night after repeatedly disrupting the beginning of the president’s speech. He shouted, “You have no mandate,” at Trump as he touted Republican victories in the House, Senate and White House. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had Green removed by the U.S. Sergeant-At-Arms. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS Green remained defiant when he stopped to speak with the White House press pool on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol after being thrown out of the second floor House chamber, where Trump was speaking. “I’m willing to suffer whatever punishment is available to me. I didn’t say to anyone, don’t punish me. I’ve said I’ll accept the punishment,” Green said, according to the White House press pool report. “But it’s worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president’s desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.” In addition to Newhouse’s resolution, Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, has his own measure with more than 30 House GOP co-sponsors. The House Freedom Caucus is backing a third censure resolution being led by Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.
Vance visits Texas-Mexico border to promote Trump’s immigration crackdown
The vice president, joined by two other top Trump administration officials, took an aerial tour of the border and met with law enforcement officials.
DOGE says seven grants for trans animal testing canceled, audits expanded: ‘Shady expenditures happening’
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Wednesday said several grants for transgender experiments on animals have been canceled, and a pilot program to audit federal agencies with unused credit cards has expanded amid “a lot of shady expenditures happening,” said DOGE leader Elon Musk. The cost-cutting group said the National Institutes of Health (NIH) canceled seven grants, some of which included $532,000 to “use a mouse model to investigate the effects of cross-sex testosterone treatment” and another $33,000 to test “feminizing hormone therapy in the male rat.” DOD TELLS CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO IGNORE ELON MUSK’S REQUEST TO REPORT PRODUCTIVITY In a statement, the agency said it remains committed to “advancing biomedical research under NIH’s priorities and promoting radical transparency in alignment with the @POTUS agenda.” “Our work is driven by accountability to all Americans as we push forward in science and public health,” it wrote on X. In recent weeks, Republicans have railed against taxpayer funds being used for transgender animal studies. During a Feb. 6 House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing titled: “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer Funded Animal Cruelty,” Justin Goodman of the White Coat Waste Project (WCW) watchdog group said the federal government spent millions on “transgender animal testing.” MUSK TELLS CABINET THAT DOGE EMAIL WAS ‘PULSE CHECK’ FOR WORKERS, WARNS US WILL ‘GO BANKRUPT’ WITHOUT ACTION “In a lot of these cases, they involve mice, rats, monkeys, who are being surgically mutilated and subjected to hormone therapies to mimic female to male or male to female gender transitions, gender-affirming hormone therapies, and then looking at the biological, psychological and physiological effects of the gender transitions, looking at the effects of taking vaccines after you’ve transitioned these animals from male to female or female to male, looking at the size of their genitals changing after you’ve put them on estrogen or testosterone therapies to transition them,” Goodman said at the hearing. In addition to the canceled grants, DOGE said a pilot program to audit federal agencies for unused and unneeded credit cards has expanded to 16 more agencies. After two weeks, 146,000 credit cards were deactivated. “As a reminder, at the start of the audit, there were ~4.6M active cards/accounts, so still more work to do,” a DOGE post on X states. Musk said many of the limits on government-issued credit cards are up to $10,000. “There are still almost twice as many credit/purchasing cards as people in the government, and the limits are $10,000! A lot of shady expenditures happening,” he said.
‘Couldn’t clap for a 13-year-old boy’: GOP slam ‘childish’ Dem silence on supporting cancer survivor
President Donald Trump designated 13-year-old brain cancer survivor DJ Daniel an honorary Secret Service member during his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night. Republican lawmakers said it was “childish” that Democrats refused to stand for the boy. “I think the Democrats really embarrassed themselves. I mean, they wouldn’t even stand up for DJ, who survived cancer. I mean, it’s childish,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said. Republicans told Fox News Digital they were “disappointed” with Democrats on Tuesday night for not standing to honor DJ during his big moment. Fox News Digital reached out to 28 Democratic lawmakers but only received two responses. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AFTER DEMS DO NOT STAND FOR 13-YEAR-OLD CANCER SURVIVOR: ‘TRULY SICK PEOPLE’ “After the Secret Service gave him his [badge] and he sat back down, but then he reached back up and hugged the Secret Service chief, it made me cry. I had tears. I was wiping a freaking tear,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital over the phone. “I clapped and was touched – not rolling my eyes,” she added. When asked to comment on Democrats not standing for Daniel, Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told Fox News Digital: “That was a moving story. What Trump left out, of course, is he’s cutting research for cancer, which is pretty, pretty bad.” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., also broke his silence in a social media post ripping Democrats on Wednesday afternoon. “A sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to – and it may not be the winning message,” Fetterman posted on X. DJ DANIEL,13-YEAR-OLD BRAIN CANCER SURVIVOR, THANKS TRUMP FOR SURPRISE HONOR DURING SPEECH TO CONGRESS “I was so disappointed that my Democratic colleagues couldn’t stand and show love for so many of the Americans that were recognized tonight. That was really heartbreaking to me,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said. Britt said it was a “huge misstep by so many of my colleagues” to not honor Americans with “heartbreaking” and “challenging stories.” “You have a little 13-year-old boy with brain cancer who has worked diligently to overcome that. And for him, when his dad lifted him up, for him to look out across that room and not to have everyone in there standing and cheering for him was heartbreaking,” Britt added. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said it was “extraordinary” that Democrats couldn’t stand for the Americans being recognized Tuesday night. “To see my Democrat colleagues refuse to stand for a young boy who is battling cancer, who has the opportunity tonight to be recognized for that, to refuse to stand for police officers. It’s just really extraordinary,” Hawley said. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said it was “disgusting” and a “total disregard for the American people” that Democrats refused to applaud. “It was disgusting. The behavior was completely out of line with decorum. I think the fact that you had Democrats refusing to applaud for a child with cancer, refusing to applaud for the widow of a slain police officer, refusing to applaud for the mother of a victim of a crime who was murdered by an illegal immigrant – that speaks volumes to not only their depraved inhumanity, but their total disregard for the American people,” Lawler said. More Republicans slammed Democrats’ decorum Tuesday night as “embarrassing” and “disgraceful.” “Honestly, the biggest thing is [it is] super embarrassing for the Democrats. I think they totally disparaged themselves today by just standing there. Couldn’t clap for a 13-year-old boy? Pretty sad,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said. “American people [are] seeing how disgraceful they acted tonight, not even standing for a child who has survived brain cancer, not even standing for the families who have lost loved ones because of the border crisis that they created,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said. Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., said Democrats were being disrespectful to the “presidency of the United States” last night with their protest signs and chants. Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the House chamber for protesting minutes into Trump’s address. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., used a whiteboard to write real-time reactions to Trump’s speech, including phrases like, “No king!” Republicans said they delivered standing ovations on bipartisan issues during President Joe Biden‘s past State of the Union speeches. “There’s a lot of times they should have stood. We did when Biden was president. Of course, we didn’t stand a whole lot, but when it was a bipartisan issue, we all stood.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said. “We suffered through four years of Joe Biden. When the first lady came up, we gave her a standing ovation as Joe Biden went through the people he had in the audience honoring them. We stood up and clapped for them. I mean, why wouldn’t somebody stand up and clap for a little 13-year-old boy who’s been through brain cancer, and they deputize him to the Secret Service?” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., added. Republican lawmakers told Fox News Digital they had never seen Democrats be “deliberately disruptive” and “kicked out of the House chamber” during a joint address to Congress. “I’ve been here 14 years. I’ve never seen anybody kicked out of the House chamber during a State of the Union address, nor have I ever seen people refuse to stand or even clap in response to pretty innocuous statements, not just innocuous statements, but statements that Americans overwhelmingly agree with,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said. “It didn’t look very good for America,” he added in reference to Green being removed from the chamber. “I don’t think my Democrat colleagues stood for a single portion of that speech,” Hawley said. “There was some heckling at the beginning, to put it mildly. I’ve never seen anything like that in a joint session of Congress, deliberately disruptive to the point of being, I think, dangerous.” While many Democrats did not stand for DJ on Tuesday night, chants of “DJ!”
Trump NIH appointee defends president’s research funding cuts, lays out new vision for future
President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, spent much of his confirmation hearing Wednesday defending the president’s decision to put a 15% cap on indirect research costs dispersed by the NIH. Bhattacharya, a physician, Stanford professor of medicine and senior fellow at the university’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, would not explicitly say he disagreed with the cuts, or that, if confirmed, he would step in to stop them. Rather, he said he would “follow the law,” while also investigating the impact of the cuts and ensuring every NIH researcher doing work that advances the health outcomes of Americans has the resources necessary to do their work. Bhattacharya also laid out a new, decentralized vision for future research at NIH that he said will be aimed at embracing dissenting ideas and transparency, while focusing on research topics that have the best chance at directly benefiting health outcomes of Americans. Bhattacharya added that he wants to rid the agency’s research portfolio of other “frivolous” efforts, that he says do little to directly benefit health outcomes. MEASLES PREVENTION AND PROTECTION CRITICAL UNDER HHS SECRETARY RFK JR.: CONTRIBUTOR “There’s a lot of distrust about where the money goes because the trust in the public health establishment has collapsed since the pandemic,” Bhattacharya said. “I think transparency regarding indirect costs is absolutely worthwhile. It’s something that universities can fix by working together to make sure that where that money goes is made clear.” Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Ed Markey of Massachusetts both pressed Bhattacharya specifically about research that looks into health issues that impact minorities — an area Democrats worry could be undermined at the NIH due to Trump’s campaign against the Left’s views on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). “The health needs of minority populations in this country are a vital priority for me … I want to make sure the research that the NIH does addresses those health needs, and I don’t see anything in the president’s orders that contradicts that, in fact, quite to the contrary,” Bhattacharya said. “What I’ve heard from [Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] and from the president is ‘Let’s make America Healthy,’ meaning all Americans.” MULTIMILLION0DOLLAR BIDEN-ERA COVID-19 VAX PROJECT HALTED BY TRUMP’S HHS When Alsobrooks cited a project Bhattacharya worked on related to Alzheimer’s disease, which included mentoring “diverse” professionals, he said that his understanding of that part of the project meant mentoring researchers with a diverse set of ideas, not a diverse set of skin colors. “I think fundamentally what matters is: Do scientists have an idea that advances the scientific field they’re in?” Bhattacharya replied. “Do they have an idea that ends up addressing the health needs of Americans?” Bhattacharya acknowledged that “identifying” health disparities among minority groups is important, but emphasized the need for research that drives meaningful outcomes. Bhattacharya also challenged the premise of a similar line of questioning from Markey, who argued Trump was utilizing ideological flashpoints to “slow” life-saving research. TRUMP ADMIN LAYS OUT WHO EXACTLY WAS CUT AT HHS IN FACE OF ‘DEMOCRAT HYSTERIA’ “I don’t agree with you, senator, that President Trump is opposed to [speeding up research]. In fact, quite the opposite, he is quite in favor of making America healthy,” Bhattacharya told Markey. “I don’t believe that ideology ought to determine whether one gets research or not.” In addition to addressing numerous questions from Democrats about Trump’s funding cuts, Bhattacharya also outlined his plans to reform the NIH’s research portfolio during his Wednesday confirmation hearing. Trump’s NIH nominee said he hopes to focus on cutting-edge research and other “big ideas” as opposed to continuing to put all the federal government’s money into research that doesn’t involve the same ambitious goals. He also briefly spoke about improving the frequency of “validation research” and increasing the number of NIH applications funded for younger investigators. Concerns from Republicans during the hearing included whether Bhattacharya would continue supporting research investigating the link between vaccines and autism, something Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said has been proven over and over again to have no link, and whether he will permit the continued use of aborted fetal tissue in NIH-funded research. SCIENTISTS EXPECT MAJOR ‘MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS’ DESPITE TRUMP’S CAP ON NIH RESEARCH FUNDING Bhattacharya agreed with Cassidy that the linkage between autism and vaccines is clear — there isn’t one. However, he acknowledged that others may disagree with him. In line with his commitment to embracing dissenting ideas and promoting free speech in medical research, he suggested that commissioning studies could help the public gain a clearer understanding that no link exists. On the issue of halting the use of aborted fetal tissue, during Trump’s first term, he banned its use, and Bhattacharya said he would follow the president’s lead on the issue.