The National Institutes of Health is terminating dozens of studies examining why people are hesitant about vaccines and how to increase uptake. mRNA vaccine research may be on the chopping block, too.

It is the policy of NIH not to prioritize research activities that focuses gaining scientific knowledge on why individuals are hesitant to be vaccinated and/or explore ways to improve vaccine interest and commitment,

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health answered sharp questions in a confirmation hearing Wednesday about his views on vaccines, research funding and the role scientists should play in a pandemic.

A federal judge on Wednesday paused cuts to health funding nationwide in response to a lawsuit filed by Oregon and 21 other states against the Trump administration. Universities and Democratic-led states warned the cuts would lead to layoffs, lab closures and a curtailment of scientific and medical studies.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is cutting or canceling more than 40 grants focused on vaccine hesitancy and ways to increase vaccine acceptance, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post.

National Institutes of Health to cancel grants designed to study vaccine hesitancy: report - Reported rollback comes as Trump administration faces scrutiny for its handling of a measles outbreak among