White House plan to tighten control over NIH grants stalls after bipartisan opposition

A proposed executive order that would have given the White House significant authority over National Institutes of Health grant awards is now considered dead.

The plan called for a commission of political appointees, including the Office of Management and Budget director, to have veto power over grant decisions, a move critics said would politicize funding.

Senator Susan Collins, chair of the appropriations committee, sent a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya urging the administration not to proceed, arguing that grants should be awarded on scientific merit.

The bipartisan pushback, reported by Semafor, appears to have halted the executive order, leaving NIH grant processes unchanged for now.