Washington-Watch
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Washington Watch
— Follows pressure campaign that put an FDA official on a short hiatus
by Jennifer Henderson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer, MedPage Today
September 8, 2025 • 2 min read
The latest Trump administration official to field criticism from far-right activist Laura Loomer is NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD.
Last week, Loomer posted a video on X showing Bhattacharya being confronted about the topic of animal testing as he entered the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C.
Along with the video, Loomer alleged in her post that the NIH is extending animal testing grants and “issuing tens of millions of dollars in new grants that fund testing on dogs, cats and primates, even though [Bhattacharya] & his so-called ‘animal testing czar’ … said they’re phasing animal testing out & the problem ‘predates’ them.”
The activist took issue with the fact that, when confronted outside the conference, Bhattacharya denied the allegations and declined to answer further questions about the issue, noting he didn’t have the time.
“The questions we asked the @NIH Director today are important questions,” Loomer added in her post. She further contended that she didn’t believe the president would “take too kindly” to what she alleged was a situation of a taxpayer-funded cabinet head “lying and saying he doesn’t have time to talk about cutting wasteful animal testing at NIH.”
In a statement, the NIH said the “claim that NIH is recklessly pursuing animal testing is flat-out misleading.”
“NIH research is subject to some of the strictest oversight and ethical standards in the world, and under Director Bhattacharya’s leadership, the agency has accelerated efforts to reduce reliance on animal models by investing in modern, human-based approaches that better predict health outcomes,” the statement continued in part.
The topic of animal testing has been a contentious one, with debate heating up again last month as Bhattacharya detailed his strategic priorities for the NIH, Politico reported. At the time, Bhattacharya saw pushback from some animal rights groups arguing that efforts to move away from animal testing didn’t go far enough.
MedPage Today has also reported that scientists had mixed reactions to plans to reduce animal testing. Some say the plans would create efficiencies, while others noted the limitations of alternative methods.
Animal testing is merely the latest topic that Loomer has taken issue with when it comes to new or incoming officials under the current administration.
In May, the White House withdrew the nomination of former Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat, MD, for U.S. surgeon general, with the Associated Press reporting that she had fielded criticism from Loomer. (AP also noted at the time that Loomer had been pivotal in removing several members of the president’s National Security Council.)
In August, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, resigned from his job after having drawn ire from right-wing activists, including Loomer, over statements in criticism of Donald Trump. (Prasad soon returned to the position.)
