Collins challenges NIH grant review plan

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has once again taken on the White House regarding National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant decision-making. Collins urged Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to abandon his attempts to exert more control over the NIH’s grant process. "Granting political review to awards which have already been chosen through a rigorous scientific and merit-based procedure compromises the fundamental principle that federal funding is based on scientific necessity and merit, not political ideology," Collins declared on Monday.

Earlier this year, Collins utilized her leadership of the appropriations committee to prevent OMB from implementing a broader regulation for grant management. Over the course of President Donald Trump's second term, she has organized hearings on biomedical research and effectively opposed NIH funding reductions. Her counterpart on the committee, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., also expressed disapproval of the proposal.

Additionally, advocacy groups have expressed concern; nonprofit advocacy group Research!America warned that a political committee would impede medical research. "We are pleased that the administration has pledged to use all NIH funds without rescissions or impoundments," stated Research!America CEO Russ Paulsen. "However, we must also ensure that the search for cures does not slow down."