STAT+: Members of Congress push back on plan to create a commission of political appointees to review NIH grants

Tensions over increased White House control of federal biomedical research funding escalated in recent days after news leaked of a plan to create a panel of political appointees to sign off on all National Institutes of Health grants. Several members of Congress voiced strong opposition to the proposal.

According to The Washington Post, a contentious meeting at the White House on Friday centered on the plan. Russell Vought, head of the White House Office of Management and Budget, pushed for an executive order creating a commission that would review all NIH grants. President Trump, reportedly angry that NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya had refused to cut funding for Harvard researchers, directed Vought to draft the order.

Politico reported that Vought and Bhattacharya would serve on the proposed board, which would be required to reach unanimous decisions on grants. The plan represents a significant potential expansion of political appointee influence over NIH grant funding.