Yes. The NIH is not needed. The research will be done with plenty of companies and academic research outfits.
If anyone things American interest in and investment in science would die without the NIH I would remind them of
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palomar_Observatory
I totally disagree with the ill considered sentiments expressed here. Yes, the NIH needs reform, but destroying it is an incredibly disastrous idea.
As a biotech analyst for over 30 years I have seen the best and worst of these institutions. The NIH enables so much biomedical research to continue. Research is a cost center. Not everyone wants to pay for it. So, we need the NIH. Actually, we need a better NIH.
Covid has taught tough lessons about the phenomenal abuse of power. We damn well better fix it. It’s a tall order. Arguably, the NIH is a pillar of the deep state. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
So, rather than bitch and preach destruction, come up with answers that work.