Developing story · The live desk
Trump reportedly directs drafting of NIH grant-review board
Updates appear here as they are verified.
Reported proposal would give political appointees a direct role in grant decisions
Politico reported that President Donald Trump directed budget director Russ Vought to draft an executive order creating a board to decide which National Institutes of Health grants receive funding. Citing two administration officials, the report said the board would include Vought and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and would require unanimous decisions. Such an arrangement would give political appointees a direct role in distributing congressionally appropriated research funds. The White House, Office of Management and Budget and Department of Health and Human Services had not responded to Reuters’ requests for confirmation. This briefing covers 2026-09-19T10:18:00.604Z through 2026-09-20T10:18:00.604Z. The timestamp is Reuters publication metadata, not when the reported direction occurred.
Trump seeks to bring health-research funding under his control, Politico reports