Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, revealed late Thursday that the Pentagon—without notifying lawmakers or the public—signed an interagency agreement that could give the Defense Department access to funds appropriated by Congress to the National Institutes of Health for biomedical research. Under the U.S. Constitution, the “power of the purse” resides exclusively with Congress, which includes the power to decide which agencies will spend how much money out of the Treasury and for what purposes. No money can be transferred between agencies without the approval of Congress—at least according to the Constitution.
According to a copy of the Trump administration interagency agreement, published by The Hill, it “facilitates the transfer of funds” from NIH to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical, and Biological Defense Policy and Programs (OASW ND-CBD). “The purpose is for OASW to provide acquisition services to support the advanced development of medical countermeasures against pandemic influenza, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, and emerging infectious diseases.” Under the deal, the Pentagon would pull funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, whose annual budget is around $7 billion.
“This secretive attempt to siphon research funds away from NIH is outrageous. The interagency agreement needs to be terminated immediately,” DeLauro said in a statement. “These funds were provided for lifesaving medical research, not as extra money for the Department of Defense. It is no secret that the Department of Defense is facing enormous financial pressure because of President Trump’s war of choice with Iran. But the Trump administration cannot make American patients, families, and scientists pay the price.”
