As expected, Anthony Fauci's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is the biggest winner from Bush's proposal to increase the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by 16%.

Under the proposal, the NIAID's budget would grow by 57% to $4 billion, with most of the increase directed at bioterrorism research. The National Cancer Institute receives an increase of 12%, and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities will receive 18%. Most other institutes would get an increase of 8–9%.

Funds for HIV/AIDS research at the NIH grow by 10% to $2.8 billion, including a 24% boost in vaccine research and $100 million for an international fund to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.