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.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Trump's pick to lead the NIH, appeared to be open studies investigating potential links between vaccines and autism, a long-debunked theory.

A health economist who once famously clashed with officials at the National Institutes of Health and now is the nominee to lead the agency faced questions from senators from both parties Wednesday about drastic funding cuts and research priorities.