Trump admin reportedly considers NIH grant approval takeover

Trump reportedly looking to take over NIH grantmaking

Dissatisfied with how grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are being awarded, the Trump administration reportedly began discussions over the weekend to add more political influence over how the funds are distributed.

© Lydia Polimeni, NIH via Associated Press file

The Washington Post reported on Friday of a fraught meeting held in the Oval Office in which senior administration staffers argued over whether NIH was continuing to fund research at odds with President Trump’s priorities .

On Sunday, The New York Times reported administration officials were drafting an executive order to create an external committee that would have the power to veto awards that don’t align with Trump’s political agenda.

White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought reportedly accused NIH of funding “woke” initiatives , though agency Director Jay Bhattacharya reportedly defended the grantmaking process.

When reached for comment, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) senior press secretary Emily Hilliard said in a statement to The Hill: “HHS remains focused on NIH’s core mission of supporting rigorous biomedical research that improves the health of the American people. We will continue to prioritize Gold Standard Science, transparency, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), in charge of the Senate Appropriations Committee, blasted news of the White House’s plans on Monday.

“The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should not be involved in agency decisions on the awards of grants,” Collins said in a statement.

Murray said in a statement, “NIH funding doesn’t belong to Donald Trump — it belongs to the patients and families waiting on the next medical breakthrough.”

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How policy will be impacting the healthcare sector this week and beyond:

Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke out Monday against the White House’s reported plans to give political appointees more control over the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) grantmaking process. Multiple outlets reported over the weekend that the White House is planning to impose more political oversight over NIH grantmaking due to the …

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Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

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