Donald Trump seeks to bring health-research funding under his control, Politico reports

U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to bring a significant portion of national health research funding under the control of his political appointees, according to a report by Politico on September 20, 2026. The administration has tasked its budget director, Russ Vought, with drafting an executive order to establish a board that will oversee grant funding decisions for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the news outlet reported, citing two administration officials familiar with the situation.

The proposed board would consist of NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, Vought, and the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. The board would be mandated to make unanimous decisions on grant awards, according to the report.

The suggested arrangement would grant Vought direct influence over how the health research agency allocates its congressionally-appropriated funds, the report added. However, the Office of Management and Budget, the White House, and the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees the NIH, have not yet commented on the matter outside regular business hours.

The move coincides with growing concern over the U.S. government's recent research funding cuts, implemented last year to streamline federal spending at major universities. These cuts have led to the freezing or cancellation of grants at numerous institutions. The Trump administration argues that these reductions are necessary to ensure that government funding supports only scientifically sound research and to rectify misguided priorities.