Proposed executive order could shift NIH grant decisions to political appointees
A reported executive order would create a committee with authority to approve or veto National Institutes of Health grants, potentially replacing expert review with political oversight. Scientists and advocates warn this would undermine the merit-based system that allocates over $40 billion in biomedical research funding. The plan follows a similar regulatory proposal that Congress temporarily blocked earlier this month.
The proposed committee would include OMB director Russell Vought and NIH leader Jay Bhattacharya, with authority to approve or reject grant decisions. NIH's current system involves lengthy proposals and multiple review rounds by outside experts before funding decisions are made across its $40 billion-plus budget for disease research.
A parallel regulatory effort from the Office of Budget Management faced heavy criticism from scientific organizations and was temporarily halted by Congress this month. The executive order itself remains unreleased, with initial reporting from the New York Times, Politico, and the Washington Post.
If enacted, this shift could alter which research projects receive federal support, potentially slowing progress on major diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Scientists may face new uncertainty in planning long-term studies, and patients could experience delayed treatment breakthroughs. However, the congressional block of similar regulations suggests institutional checks may limit how far the change goes.