Trump Plans Board to Oversee NIH Grant Funding

Current President Donald Trump has directed budget chief Russell Vought to draft an executive order creating an external board with greater control over which National Institutes of Health grants receive funding, according to multiple reports. The proposed board would include Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and would require unanimous approval, potentially allowing a single political appointee to veto grants. The plan would depart from the NIH’s longstanding system, in which scientific peer-review panels and advisory councils evaluate applications primarily on scientific merit before institute directors make final decisions. Administration officials, including Vought, have criticized the NIH for funding initiatives they describe as “woke,” while Bhattacharya has defended the agency’s grant process and its mission to support biomedical research. Scientists, lawmakers and state attorneys general warn that the proposal could politicize research, and researchers are challenging related grant actions in court as unconstitutional censorship. The White House and NIH have offered limited comment, while existing congressional restrictions could hinder efforts to expand the Office of Management and Budget’s authority over federal grants.