President Donald Trump told White House Budget Director Russ Vought to draft an executive order creating a board giving the administration more control over which grants the National Institutes of Health funds, according to multiple media reports.
Politico reported, citing two administration officials, that Trump did this during a meeting in the Oval Office on Friday. The board, if created, would include Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Politico wrote, and decisions about grants would need to be made unanimously.
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People with knowledge about the matter told The New York Times the directive’s goal is to create a new external committee that can veto awards “in the nation’s vast biomedical research portfolio” that don’t align with Trump’s political agenda.
NIH grant applications traditionally undergo a process where scientific peer-review panels analyze them.
“Given that they must provide objective, fair, and timely reviews free from inappropriate influences, reviewers are fully vetted for appropriate expertise, potential conflicts of interest, and other requirements based on NIH peer review policies,” according to the agency’s website. From there, advisory councils recommend which grants to fund, and a final decision is made by NIH directors.
Joshua Pradko, a spokesperson for the NIH, said in a statement to the New York Times that the NIH “remains committed to its mission of funding biomedical research to benefit the health of the American people.” He declined to talk about what happened at Friday’s meeting, which reportedly became contentious.
Senior Trump administration officials fought over whether the NIH is funding initiatives contrary to Trump’s agenda, and if it should change its spending priorities, The Washington Post wrote.
Vought, at the meeting, said the NIH is funding “woke” initiatives going against Trump’s goals, such as an executive order prohibiting “equity-related” grants and contracts,” people speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Post. Meanwhile, Bhattacharya defended how NIH gives out its grants.
Trump reportedly “appeared open” to Vought’s complaints.
In 2025, the NIH cut nearly $800 million in grants for LGBTQ+ and minority communities.
An NIH spokesperson said there will be “no rescissions” to current NIH grant monies in a statement to The Post.
The Office of Management and Budget previously proposed a rule giving political appointees more power in the grant-making process, but this was ultimately blocked by lawmakers.
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