A planned executive order designed to expand White House control over National Institutes of Health grant distribution has stalled amid bipartisan Congressional resistance. The proposal would have established a commission of political appointees, including Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, with authority to block research funding awards. Critics argued the measure would compromise the federal government’s commitment to funding biomedical research based on scientific merit rather than political considerations.
Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the appropriations committee, sent a letter to OMB leadership and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on Tuesday expressing strong opposition to the initiative. The letter warned that the plan would undermine the objective of funding research projects based on scientific value. Her concerns were echoed by multiple other lawmakers across both parties, who issued statements earlier in the week. By Wednesday, several of those officials were indicating the Trump administration had reversed course on the proposal.
The executive order concept emerged from an Oval Office meeting on Friday, where Vought criticized the NIH for funding projects he viewed as misaligned with administration priorities. According to reporting, the President supported increased political oversight of grant distribution, partly to redirect funding away from Harvard University.
This development represents the latest chapter in ongoing tensions between the OMB and Congress over scientific funding control. Previous administration attempts to tighten oversight have faced legislative pushback. Last year, Vought implemented a policy requiring the NIH to disburse grant funds upfront rather than in annual installments, which constrained available resources for new awards. Congress subsequently curtailed this “multiyear funding” approach in the 2026 appropriations bill while modestly increasing the overall NIH budget despite an OMB proposal for significant reductions. Earlier this year, the OMB delayed budget approval for NIH spending and briefly instituted a freeze on agency expenditures. In May, a proposed rewrite to federal contracting guidance that would have reduced emphasis on peer review drew tens of thousands of opposing comments and was blocked by Congressional action.
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