Biodefense Pact Between Pentagon and NIH Spurs Democratic Alarm

The Pentagon and the NIH signed an agreement to collaborate on biodefense and pandemic preparedness, a move Democrats say could give the Defense Department a bigger role and allow spending of NIH funds outside congressional oversight. The document, a copy obtained by The New York Times, centers on chemical and biological defense research and does not list a dollar figure, but sources say it could involve up to $2 billion from NIAID (about one-third of its budget). Democrats warn it could let Pentagon officials spend money lawmakers allocated for NIH programs without proper Congress approval; the report also notes Trump-era interagency agreements used to bypass Congress on spending.