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Introduced February 20, 2025 by Rand Paul · Last progress February 20, 2025
Creates three separate NIH institutes by splitting the current National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases into: a National Institute of Allergic Diseases, a National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and a National Institute of Immunologic Diseases. It transfers program authorities and statutory references from the current institute to the newly created institutes, sets five-year presidential appointment terms (with one possible reappointment) for each institute director, terminates the single NIAID director on enactment, and places temporary oversight with the NIH Director until new directors are appointed. Requires the NIH Director to carry out orderly transfers of authorities and updates legal cross-references so existing program authorities and statutes referring to NIAID are treated as references to the appropriate new institute or its director. The bill reorganizes statutory language across multiple Public Health Service Act provisions but does not specify new funding levels or appropriations.
The bill aims to improve infectious-disease and immunology focus and response by splitting NIAID into specialized institutes, but it risks short-term disruption, higher administrative costs, and shifting grant priorities during the transition.
Patients and hospitals: public-health response capacity for infectious diseases could improve by centralizing infectious-disease authorities in a dedicated institute, enabling more coordinated preparedness and response.
Scientists and researchers: splitting NIAID into more focused institutes for allergic, infectious, and immunologic research could improve targeted funding, expertise, and program alignment for those fields.
Federal employees and researchers: clarifying statutory references (treating old NIAID references as references to the new institutes) reduces legal ambiguity during the transition and eases implementation.
Scientists, research staff, and hospitals: splitting NIAID may cause transitional disruption to ongoing research and grant management while authorities and programs are transferred, delaying studies and clinical support.
Taxpayers and researchers: administrative costs are likely to rise as one institute becomes three, potentially diverting funds from direct research to overhead.
Researchers and applicants: reassigning program authorities and reorganizing institutes may change grant priorities or eligibility, creating uncertainty about funding for some projects or investigators.