The White House is seeking greater control over $48 billion in federal research funding, in an apparent effort to further President Donald Trump’s political agenda, according to recent reporting from the Washington Post, New York Times, and Politico.
The president has reportedly ordered Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to draft an executive order that would require grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to be reviewed by a board of political appointees.
The Times reports that Trump’s goal is to promote conservative ideology and cultural change through directing scientific research at the nation’s more prestigious universities, which the president has frequently sparred with during his second term.
The effort has drawn rebuke from those concerned with academic freedom, including the advocacy organization Stand Up for Science, which warns that this rule threatens to undermine decades of peer-reviewed research.
“These actions show us an administration determined to take control of our science,” Stand Up for Science CEO Colette Delawalla, PhD, said in a statement.
Vought keeps coming after NIH oversight
Shifting decision power over federal research funding has been an ongoing project of Vought’s. In May, his office proposed a rule that would require “senior appointees,” selected by politically appointed agency heads, to review NIH research proposals.
The proposed rule states that this change would enhance accountability, encourage agencies to broaden the range of recipients, and ensure that “discretionary awards advance the President’s policy priorities.” It also specifically states that federal funding can’t go to research that endorses or advocates “for the notion that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic.”
Currently, NIH grant applications go through a two-step review process, which includes both non-federal scientists and the relevant national advisory council or board. Final approval rests with the director of a specific NIH institute or center, such as the National Cancer Institute or the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.