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.

Republicans who control the Senate have largely embraced the nomination, arguing that Bhattacharya's skepticism of federal pandemic policies reflects the need for reform at the NIH. All of Trump's high-level nominations have been confirmed,