Key facts
- The Trump administration is drafting an executive order to give OMB head Russell Vought veto power over NIH grants.
- The move comes after previous attempts by Vought to control research funding were blocked by Congress and courts.
- NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya reportedly objected to the proposed executive order.
- The proposed system would require unanimous consent from a committee including Vought and Bhattacharya for grants to be funded.
- The NIH awarded over 64,000 grants annually during the Biden administration.
- The proposed executive order is expected to face legal challenges as arbitrary and capricious.
The Trump administration is reportedly preparing an executive order that would grant the head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought, veto power over individual research grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This proposed change, confirmed by multiple outlets including The New York Times and Politico following an initial report by The Washington Post, aims to place funding decisions under greater political control.
According to reports, Vought has previously sought to limit NIH research funding, particularly on topics he has labeled as "woke." His earlier attempts to terminate grants and implement new funding rules were thwarted by Congress and the courts. The current proposal would establish a committee, including Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, where unanimous consent would be required for any grant to proceed. Bhattacharya reportedly objected to this move during a White House meeting.
The NIH, the world's largest funder of biomedical research with an annual budget of $47 billion, distributes funds primarily through grants to academic researchers. The proposed system's practicality is questioned, given the sheer volume of grants (over 64,000 annually during the Biden administration) and the potential for delays or an inability to spend allocated funds. Experts suggest the executive order could face legal challenges for being arbitrary and capricious, though damage may occur before courts can intervene.