White House plan for NIH grant control appears to be stalling

The White House has reportedly stalled a planned executive order that would have granted the administration increased control over billions of dollars in National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientific grants.

The proposed order aimed to establish an external committee of political appointees with the authority to veto research awards that did not align with the administration’s political agenda. This move was seen as part of a broader effort to target elite academic institutions, specifically Harvard University, as part of a campaign against what the administration describes as “woke” ideology.

Following pushback from lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, the plan appears to be losing momentum. Senator Collins urged officials to abandon the proposal, arguing it would undermine the objective of funding biomedical research based on scientific merit rather than political ideology. Other lawmakers expressed concerns that the move would defund lifesaving research to exert political pressure on universities.