Congress pushes back on White House plan to place political appointees on NIH grant reviews

Members of Congress have voiced strong opposition after a leak revealed a White House proposal to create a commission of political appointees that would review every NIH grant.

The idea reportedly emerged from a meeting in which President Trump instructed OMB director Russell Vought to draft an executive order, reportedly in response to the NIH director’s refusal to reduce funding for Harvard researchers.

Lawmakers argue the plan would increase political control over federal biomedical research funding and threaten the independence of the grant-review process, signaling a brewing conflict over NIH oversight.