President Joe Biden’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) will give millions in tax dollars to groups that research how “structural racism” in science and medicine impacts “misinformation,” according to a grant listing reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The grant, which has not been reported on until now, is titled “Understanding and Addressing Misinformation among Populations that Experience Health Disparities” and aims to hand $4 million in fiscal year 2022 and 2023 to roughly six universities, nonprofits, businesses, state and local U.S. governments or other eligible applicants. Groups are intended to propose research projects on how to “mitigate the impact of misinformation,” which according to NIH is prevalent among minorities subjected to “structural racism” and “marginalization.” (RELATED: Biden Admin To Spend Thousands To Teach Cambodian Kids How To ‘Stop The Spread Of Misinformation’)
“The COVID-19 pandemic is a leading example of how the spread of misinformation and disinformation can hamper the effectiveness of population-level efforts to address public health emergencies that disproportionately impact populations that experience health disparities,” the grant listing says, noting projects should focus on “health disparities” among blacks, Hispanics, Latinos, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asians, LGBTQ people and others.
Applicants should examine the “pathways” and “mechanisms” for the spread of misinformation and how misinformation can be contained through “leaders” and “sources of information” providing people information, the listing says. One grant objective is to study how minorities can obtain “equitable access” to such information, the listing says.
A former chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency overseeing NIH, told the DCNF the grant is an example of the Biden administration allowing “unelected bureaucrats” to spend tax dollars on “liberal pet projects” that “silence political opponents.”
“Tragically, by funding woke activities instead of researching cures for rare diseases, this may actually cost lives,” said Brian Harrison, who served under former President Donald Trump and is now a Republican Texas state House member.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The misinformation grant was posted in March and applications close in November. Applicants are encouraged to “partner” with private or public groups to study “mass dissemination and communication campaigns,” including those that push “misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, or medical distrust.”
The grant listing does not explicitly say which vaccines or treatments for diseases or illnesses have been prey to widespread misinformation.
Two Republican members of Congress told the DCNF they think the “misinformation” grant is a waste of tax dollars and intend to hold the government accountable should the GOP take back the House in the November midterm elections.
“Part of Republicans’ Commitment to America is a government that is accountable,” said Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman. “In the new Congress, Republicans will look into government overreach and wastefulness to ensure a government that works for all Americans.”
“This is just another example of an unaccountable bloated bureaucracy wasting taxpayers’ hard earned dollars,” said Texas Rep. Troy Nehls.
NIH did not respond to a request for comment.
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