In a written response shared with the AP, Bhattacharya defended the agency’s direction, insisting the letter “has some fundamental misconceptions about the policy directions the NIH has taken in recent months.” But he reiterated his commitment to dialogue: “Respectful dissent in science is productive,” he said. “We all want the NIH to succeed.”

More than 90 NIH scientists sign their names to the “Bethesda declaration” in protest of Trump administration policies they say are harming people’s health.

A proposed budget cut that could dramatically curtail funding for medical research in the United States is expected to be central to a Senate hearing Tuesday with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health,