“We should not have a politicized process for awarding research and biomedical grants to institutions. It needs to be merit-based, and I'm glad that the White House listened to those of us who were making that argument. … What we're hearing — and I've been weighing in with the White House — is that [chief of staff] Susie Wiles is also concerned about what the impact of this would be. And I am hoping … that the executive order won't be issued.
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Trump Orders Russ Vought to Draft an Executive Order Giving a White House Board Veto Power Over NIH Grants — Susan Collins Calls It "Contrary to Congressional Intent," Patty Murray Calls the Board "a Panel of Lackeys," and Two Days Later Collins Says "the White House Listened"
September 23, 2026
After NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya declined to cut off funding for Harvard researchers, President Trump directed OMB Director Russ Vought to draft an executive order creating a review board — including Vought and Bhattacharya — that would have to unanimously sign off on National Institutes of Health grant awards, including grants already selected through peer review. The plan drew immediate objections on September 21, 2026 from the top appropriators of both parties: Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). Collins followed with a September 22 letter to Vought and Bhattacharya urging the administration to send Congress a legislative proposal instead. On September 23, Semafor and The Hill reported the administration was backing off the order; Collins said White House chief of staff Susie Wiles shared concerns and that "the White House listened." The stopgap funding law already bars a similar government-wide political review of grants through December 11.
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5 Statements
“It shouldn't take public outcry to prevent President Trump and Russ Vought from laying waste to the NIH and defunding lifesaving research because they think it's 'woke' or want to extort a university. This president is on a mission to shred patients and families' hopes for new treatments and cures.
“Any attempt to politicize grantmaking at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or any other agency, by another means — whether an Executive Order or guidance — is contrary to congressional intent. … Imposing a political review on awards that have already been selected through a rigorous scientific and merit-based process undermines the long-standing principle that the government funds awards based on scientific need and merit, rather than political ideology.
“Whether lifesaving medical research gets funded or not should be determined by experts at the NIH, not a panel of lackeys chosen by Donald Trump and Russ Vought. … Only one question should decide which research gets funded: is this good science that could save lives? Trump wants to answer a different question: does this help me settle a score?
“This is an extraordinarily dangerous proposal. The White House is playing politics with critical research into devastating illnesses like cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease. Funding for life-saving biomedical research should never – ever – be subject to political litmus tests. … It must not be allowed to move forward.