NIH Grants May Face a Political Gatekeeper

The National Institutes of Health handles more than $40 billion each year. That money supports work on cancer, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and many other health problems. So a reported plan from President Donald Trump to place political officials above some grant decisions has scientists and advocates worried.

The plan would use an executive order to create a panel that must approve NIH grants, and it could block awards too. The order has not been released. Critics say public research money should be chosen by people who understand the science, not by officials chasing a political line. They warn that this could slow discovery and weaken the United States' role in science and innovation.

NIH funding has usually relied on independent review. Researchers send in detailed proposals. Then outside experts read them, ask hard questions, and score the work in several stages. Arthur Caplan, an emeritus professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine who once served on NIH advisory panels, says that system is not broken. He thinks adding another political checkpoint would be risky and could push an agenda into science.

The panel is reported to include Russell Vought, the OMB director and a supporter of Project 2025, and Jay Bhattacharya, the head of NIH. Jennifer Jones of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists says the change would shake up how the country funds research. Colette Delawalla, founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science, says the plan looks like an attempt to control scientists. She argues that if every grant must pass through a non-scientist whose goal is to weaken the current system, NIH may no longer stay the usual model for careful grant review.

This is not the first fight over who controls research money. OMB had proposed a similar rule earlier, and scientists and national science groups pushed back hard. Congress briefly stopped those rules from taking effect earlier this month. Trump's second term has also seen repeated efforts to cut research funding, especially in areas like racial health gaps, LGBTQ+ issues, and climate change. The administration has also targeted universities, including a mostly failed effort to freeze Harvard funding over claims about antisemitism on campus. An NIH spokesperson said the agency remains focused on funding health research that benefits Americans. OMB did not immediately respond.