Trump Wants More Control Over NIH Funding

President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing an executive order that would give the White House more control over National Institutes of Health funding, according to The Washington Post, Politico and other outlets. 

The outlets reported on a Friday Oval Office meeting involving Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget; NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya; and Trump. Vought reportedly argued that NIH was funding research projects that didn’t align with the president’s priorities, even though the agency has already cut multiple grants that support research into diverse communities, women’s health and transgender issues. 

(A group of researchers sued the NIH last week over the agency’s screening process, which used a list of keywords to flag grants for further review. They argued the process amounted to viewpoint discrimination.)

Vought suggested that NIH funding decisions should face additional review, which could include setting up a commission to sign off on awards. According to Politico, the commission or board would include Vought and Bhattacharya, and unanimity would be required on any decision. 

NIH has a $47 billion budget and is the largest funder of biomedical research at colleges and universities. The Post reported that Bhattacharya defended the agency’s process of awarding grants.

Discussions about such an order come after Congress temporarily curtailed the administration’s other plan to put political appointees more in charge of grants. OMB cannot finalize that plan until mid-December at the earliest.

Politico reported that the potential executive order would be aimed at giving the administration another way to cut funding for Harvard University, which has been embroiled in a lengthy legal battle over the fate of its federal research funding. A district judge ruled in September 2025 that the administration illegally froze Harvard’s grant funding and restored more than $2 billion to the university. The administration appealed that decision, and oral arguments will be heard next month.