White House Considers Veto Power Over NIH Grants
The White House is reportedly drafting an executive order that would grant the head of the Office of Management and Budget veto power over all grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The White House is reportedly preparing an executive order that would give Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), veto power over every grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The development has been confirmed and expanded upon by multiple news outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Politico.
The NIH is the world's largest funder of biomedical research, managing a budget of approximately $47 billion. This funding is primarily distributed through grants to academic researchers at universities, supporting a wide spectrum of research from basic biology to clinical trials and fostering the growth of the biotechnology industry.
The proposed move is seen as an effort to increase political control over the NIH's funding decisions. Reports suggest that NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya attempted to resist this change during a White House meeting but was unsuccessful.
If enacted, the executive order would represent a significant shift in the NIH's operational framework and could impact researchers' ability to secure funding free from political influence.