The highest official Nih suddenly gives up when Trump orders deep cuts

Official No. 2 at the National Institutes of Health suddenly gave up and withdrew from the government service on Tuesday, in another sign that Trump’s administration transforms national public and biomedical health institutions.

Official, Dr. Lawrence A. TabakThe dentist and researcher, has long been considered a stable strength and survived past presidential passages. In a letter that Dr. Tabak sent to his colleagues on Tuesday, he did not give the reason for his decision. One person familiar with the decision said that Dr. Tabak was confronted with a change, which he considered unacceptable.

“Huge privilege cooperated with each of you (and your predecessors) to support and further critical Nih mission,” wrote Dr. Tabak.

Dr. Tabak resigned in a turbulent time for institutes, the most vital country in the research industry in a country, consisting of 27 separate institutes and centers that examine and develop the treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease, as well as infectious diseases such as AIDS and Covid. Nih spends about $ 48 billion a year on medical examinations, mostly subsidies for medical centers, universities and hospitals throughout the country.

President Trump’s decision to reduce billion dollars in financing Nih subsidies caused a bitter court battle. And the Senate on Wednesday voted for the development of the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Skeptic of vaccine and president for the Secretary of the Health and Social Welfare Department, who supervises Nih

Mr. Kennedy said he would limit 600 NIH jobs.

Nih said that he would soon have a declaration of Dr. Tabak’s decision.

Dr. Tabak was not well known to the audience. But his decision to leave is surprising and destabilizes for an agency that is in a political place. He was perceived as someone who could work in different lines; He survived the presidential turnover of both sides and indicated that he was expecting to stay after choosing Trump in November.

Usually Dr. Tabak would join the position of director of Nih during the transition from one administration to another. But Trump’s administration installed another researcher, Matthew Memoli from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious disease as a director. Dr. Memoli criticized the fines of Covid vaccines, just like Mr. Kennedy.

As the director of NIH, last year, Dr. Tabak pushed against Republican claims that the laboratory leakage resulting from research financed by US taxpayers could cause Coronavirus pandemic. He told the legislators that the viruses examined in the laboratory in Wuhan in China did not resemble the one that caused the world’s worst crisis in the century.

Ellen Barry reporting brought.