The Trump administration is expected to issue an executive order creating a board with authority over National Institutes of Health grant awards, according to reporting from multiple outlets. The proposed structure would include Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH director, with requirements for unanimous approval on funding decisions.
Administration officials discussed the measure in a meeting held on Friday, characterizing the NIH as funding what they describe as “woke” initiatives that conflict with the president’s policy objectives. Vought has expressed interest in reshaping federal research spending, while Bhattacharya has previously resisted cuts to federal research funding and defended the NIH’s existing grant-making process.
Critics argue that the proposed board would represent a departure from the agency’s traditional approach of evaluating research proposals based on scientific merit rather than ideological alignment. The reported move comes amid a class-action lawsuit filed by researchers who contend that the Trump administration is using its funding authority to suppress research expressing viewpoints the administration disfavors, and they argue this violates First Amendment protections.
Since the start of the president’s second term, billions of dollars in federal grants related to health, nutrition, environment, and disaster relief have been cut or frozen. The administration has flagged research containing certain keywords including “equity,” “racist,” “gender,” and “climate change” as part of its review of scientific funding. The Department of Health and Human Services and the White House declined to comment when contacted about the reported executive order.
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