White House drafting executive order to take over NIH grant approvals: Reports

The Trump administration is reportedly putting together an executive order to move the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) grant approval process away from the agency and giving political appointees more control.

Reports emerged over the weekend that the Oval Office was considering enforcing more political oversight into NIH’s grantmaking process.

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

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

The New York Times reported on Sunday that the administration had begun 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. NIH spokesperson Joshua Pradko told the outlet that no NIH funds would be rescinded.

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.”

NIH funding has been ensnared in political crosshairs since the start of the second Trump administration. In June, the administration quietly rolled out a proposed rule that would de-emphasize peer review and give wide latitude to political appointees to decide what research will “advance the President’s policy priorities.”

Earlier this month, Democrats claimed the Pentagon had sought to divert NIH biomedical research funds to defense spending. HHS said at the time that the two agencies were exploring “potential avenues of collaboration.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House and OMB for comment.