Trump administration to create board overseeing NIH grant approvals

President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would create a new oversight board to review and approve all grant funding administered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The order, reported by the Washington Post and Politico, follows a senior‑level meeting in which administration officials criticized the agency for supporting research they described as “woke” and inconsistent with the president’s policy priorities. Under the proposed structure, the board—appointed by the White House—would have authority to halt or modify grants that do not align with the administration’s agenda, effectively placing NIH funding decisions under direct political control.

The move has sparked concern among scientific and public‑health communities, which argue that politicizing grant approvals could impede research on topics such as health disparities, climate change and reproductive health. Congressional leaders have indicated they will monitor the implementation of the order, while the NIH has pledged to continue its mission of advancing biomedical science. The administration’s effort represents another step in its broader strategy to reshape federal research funding to reflect its stated priorities.