White House Abandons Plan to Politicize NIH Grant Decisions After Bipartisan Pushback

Key points

• The White House halted a planned executive order that would have created a new board to control NIH grantmaking, with OMB Director Russ Vought holding veto power.
• Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) urged the administration to drop the plan, arguing that research funding must remain merit-based rather than politicized.
• NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya reportedly refused a directive from President Trump to cut Harvard’s federal research grants during a contentious Friday meeting.
• Congress previously blocked a similar plan through a provision in a stopgap funding bill, and the administration faces legal challenges from prior attempts to defund Harvard.
• The administration may still issue a different executive order on NIH grants later, potentially after the midterm elections, to avoid the appearance of political meddling.

Background

This development follows a series of conflicts between the Trump administration and Harvard University over federal funding. In 2025, the White House attempted to block $2.6 billion in grants to Harvard, a move that was blocked in court. Additionally, the NIH capped reimbursements for research indirect costs at 15 percent, a decision that was permanently blocked by the First Circuit in January 2026. Senator Collins had previously warned that the administration’s plan to politicize NIH grants would defy Congress, and lawmakers had included provisions in a stopgap funding bill to block such a rule.

How outlets are covering it

Politico and Semafor report that the White House has dropped the planned executive order, with Semafor noting that the administration may revisit the issue after the election. The New York Times emphasizes that the move was forced by fierce opposition from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and that the administration may still seek to tighten its grip on federal research spending through other means. The Harvard Crimson highlights that NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya refused a directive from President Trump to cut Harvard’s federal research grants, and that Bhattacharya has since distanced himself from the administration’s push to defund federal-sponsored scientific research.

Why it matters

The decision to drop the executive order is significant because it represents a retreat from a plan that would have given political appointees control over billions of dollars in federal health and biomedical research spending. The move also highlights the growing tensions between the White House and Congress over the politicization of scientific research, and the potential for future legal and political battles over the funding of elite universities like Harvard.

What to watch

The administration may still issue a different executive order on NIH grants later, potentially after the midterm elections. The White House and NIH have declined to comment on the status of the order, and it is unclear if the administration plans to revive the matter through another directive. Congress may also continue to monitor the administration’s efforts to control federal research spending, and may take further action to block any future attempts to politicize NIH grantmaking.