Fox News senior national correspondent Rich Edson highlights the controversial positions of President Donald Trump's pick to lead the NIH on 'Special Report.'

Among the many things that make America exceptional is our proud legacy of scientific research and discovery. Thanks to research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 90% of the children diagnosed this year with the most common form of leukemia will go on to be cured. Babies born with cystic fibrosis — once an early death sentence — can now expect to live long and full lives. A patient diagnosed with cancer in America today is 34% less likely to die from it than they were just 30 years ago. NIH-funded research leads to better treatments for heart disease, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and more. And it enables our country to keep setting the standard — driving medical innovation and progress and giving hope to countless patients.  

The proposed NIH funding cuts, totaling at least $4 billion per year, threaten that leadership. As the heads of two major research medical centers and as physician researchers ourselves, we are deeply concerned about the immediate, devastating impacts these cuts will have on........

© Fox News