WATCH: Health officials testify on NIH budget as coronavirus concerns grow

Top officials at the National Institutes of Health will appear before a House appropriations committee Wednesday to address President Donald Trump’s budget proposal, which suggests a $3 billion funding cut to the agency.

NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins will attend this hearing. It is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET. Watch the hearing in the player above.

Last month, the White House released its 2021 budget proposal, revealing a 7 percent cut to NIH, at a time when the numbers of new novel coronavirus cases continues to climb, globally and within the U.S.

Earlier this week, Trump visited NIH labs in Bethesda, Maryland, to get a closer look at how researchers are working toward a cure amid the outbreak. To date, COVID-19 is responsible for nine deaths in the U.S., all of them in Washington state.

Health officials, too, faced criticism from a Senate panel that raised questions about the U.S.’ ability to contain the virus. Health officials said they’re seeing a shortage of face masks for doctors and nurses to use as they work to stop the spread of the virus. That shortage has been, in part, attributed to the rising concerns of the public who may have been buying or hoarding the masks. In response, the U.S. has relaxed its rules on which kind of masks medical workers are required to wear.

Health officials also do not recommend that the general public use the masks as an effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The PBS NewsHour will update this story as it develops.