White House moves to control NIH grants
The gist
Trump ordered a plan for a White House board to approve NIH grants.
The move puts political review over expert peer review of biomedical funding.
How it unfolded
- Sep 18, 2026A highly contentious meeting was held at the White House where the directive to create a new external committee with veto power over NIH awards was discussed; Trump directed OMB to prepare the executive order during a Friday Oval Office meeting.
- Sep 20, 2026Reports published that the White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement Trump's ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants funded by NIH.
- Sep 20, 2026Trump ordered a plan for a White House board to approve NIH grants, tightening control of the $48B budget, and told White House Budget Director Russ Vought to draft an executive order creating the board.