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Collins: White House backing down from NIH grant order

Susan Collins pressed the administration to drop a political review board that would have given appointees final say over NIH grants.

  • The Trump administration is backing off its initial plan for an executive order that would expand White House influence over NIH grants, according to three people familiar with the process.
  • Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, pressured the OMB to abandon the effort after The Washington Post reported on a contentious Friday meeting about the proposed order.
  • On Friday, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and OMB director Russell Vought held a lengthy discussion about empowering the White House to influence NIH grants to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
  • Legal questions remain about OMB influence over NIH spending after Congress intervened earlier this year; advancing the original order could have jeopardized a December 11 stopgap spending bill.
  • While the White House is changing course on the initial order, it may still release a different version regarding NIH grants, though both the White House and NIH declined to comment.
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  • 57% of the sources are Center
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Politico broke the news in Arlington County, United States on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
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