Trump administration backing off NIH grant order amid pushback

The Trump administration is reconsidering its initial proposal for an executive order that would grant the president more control over decision-making for National Institutes of Health grants, according to three sources familiar with the situation. This shift in policy follows pressure from Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, who urged the Office of Management and Budget to abandon the initiative altogether.

Although the White House is altering its stance on the proposed order, there's a possibility that a different type of order could still be released regarding NIH grants. The White House and NIH have not provided a comment on the matter. The proposed order sparked controversy after a Friday meeting where NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and various administration officials, including OMB director Russell Vought, engaged in a lengthy discussion about increasing White House involvement in NIH grant decisions to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The meeting, which sometimes became heated, lasted over an hour, as reported by The Washington Post. The order has since been modified after more White House deliberations and evaluations, according to a third source familiar with the process. Even if the order is implemented, there are still legal uncertainties about its extent and significance due to a government funding bill passed earlier this year which restricted the Office of Management and Budget's influence over NIH spending.

One pharmaceutical industry lobbyist noted the ambiguity surrounding the order's fate, stating, "There is still a question of ‘Is it dead?’ versus ‘We don’t actually have a choice but to wait, so we might as well not do this before the midterms.’" If the administration had proceeded with the original scope of the planned NIH order, it could have hindered Congress' ability to pass a stopgap spending bill by the end of the year.

A source familiar with the discussions confirmed, "They have to” pull back, "They won't be able to pass a CR on December 11 if they issue an EO." Some senators promptly opposed the administration's plan to increase White House oversight of NIH grants, as reported by PBS News.