Full Breakdown
Trump Pushes Political Appointees into NIH Grant Decisions
By Drooid · · How we work
Executive Move to Reshape NIH Funding
On September 19, President Donald Trump instructed his budget director, Russ Vought, to draft an executive order that would create a board to decide which National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants receive funding. The proposed board would include NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Vought, and would be required to reach unanimous decisions on award allocations. If implemented, the arrangement would give Vought—a director of the White House Office of Management and Budget—a direct role in directing the agency’s $48 billion of congressionally appropriated money.
Recent Funding Disputes and Legislative Context
The effort follows a prior attempt to block $2.6 billion in grant funding to Harvard University after the administration accused the university of failing to address anti-semitism on campus. Harvard sued, and a federal judge ordered the funding restored a year ago. Congress this month inserted a provision in a stopgap funding bill that temporarily blocks the administration from enacting the earlier Vought plan. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) personally rejected that plan, and the September funding bill barred the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from finalizing the earlier proposal unless lawmakers lift the restriction later in the year.
Official Statements & Agency Responses
The OMB declined to comment on the new board proposal.
Congressional and Scientific Opposition
Lawmakers from both parties, along with scientists and state attorneys general, have warned that expanding political control could inject ideology into scientific research. Critics note that NIH grant applications have traditionally undergone a two-level peer-review process, with final decisions made by career government officials heading the agency’s 27 institutes and centers. Vought has previously argued that career bureaucrats have facilitated “progressive academics’ research” at the expense of projects aligned with the president’s priorities.
Potential Legislative Constraints
The September funding bill’s restriction on OMB’s authority remains in effect until new appropriations are enacted. If Congress does not extend the exemption, the administration’s ability to move forward with the board could be limited, leaving the NIH’s existing peer-review system in place for the remainder of the fiscal year.