Russell Vought reportedly set to gain veto power over NIH grants

The Trump administration is reportedly drafting an executive order that would grant Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), veto authority over all individual grants issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This move follows a contentious meeting where NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya unsuccessfully opposed efforts to exert political control over the agency's funding decisions. The NIH, which manages a $47 billion annual budget, is the world's largest funder of biomedical research, supporting everything from basic biological studies to clinical trials. Critics argue that centralizing grant approval under a political appointee could compromise the scientific integrity and independence of the research funding process. If implemented, this policy would represent a significant shift in how federal research dollars are allocated, potentially impacting the biotechnology industry and academic research institutions that rely heavily on NIH support.