Story perspectives

Trump Executive Order Creates NIH Grant Veto Committee

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 3:01 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump issued an executive order to create a committee that can veto NIH grants opposing his agenda.
Trump, OMB director Russell Vought and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya met in the Oval Office on Friday.
The proposed board would require unanimous votes and include Vought and Bhattacharya, influencing the $48 billion NIH budget.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins rejected Vought’s plan to cut the NIH budget by 40 percent.

History

Historical Context

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan proposed a 30 percent reduction of the National Institutes of Health budget, sparking a congressional showdown. The Office of Management and Budget, led by James C. Miller III, recommended cutting $1.5 billion from NIH’s $5 billion appropriation annually. Similarly, in 2024 Donald Trump’s OMB director Russell Vought and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya convened a veto committee to reshape the $48 billion NIH portfolio. Lawmakers such as Senator Susan Collins opposed the plan, warning that repeated executive meddling threatens long-term biomedical innovation and public health.

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Story summary

President Donald Trump issued an executive order to create a committee that can veto NIH grants opposing his agenda.
Trump, OMB director Russell Vought and NIH director Jay Bhattacharya met in the Oval Office on Friday.
The proposed board would require unanimous votes and include Vought and Bhattacharya, influencing the $48 billion NIH budget.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins rejected Vought’s plan to cut the NIH budget by 40 percent.

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