Why Congress keeps pressing NIH over bat research funding tied to CSU
By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice
The scrutiny hasn’t faded because the funding didn’t stop at a single lab. NIH records show CSU’s bat research support extending into overseas field work in Bangladesh, where a separate NIH award to EcoHealth Alliance also played a role—a convergence that has kept lawmakers focused on how these projects are monitored and connected.
Congress is demanding more transparency from the NIH over bat research grants tied to Colorado State University, asking, “How many millions of tax dollars is NIH giving to live bat research and why?”
In a Jan. 12, 2026 letter to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Paul Gosar called on the agency to cancel remaining funding tied to CSU bat research and to produce a full accounting of ...










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