Russell Vought to be given veto power over NIH grants, reports indicate

<p>On September 21, 2026, The Washington Post reported on a meeting at the White House where Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), attempted to oppose an initiative to place funding decisions under political control. This initiative originated from Russell Vought, head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has been seeking to limit and control research funds. The report indicated that Bhattacharya was unsuccessful in this effort.</p><p>Subsequent confirmation and elaboration of this information have been provided by other outlets, including The New York Times and Politico. It appears that the administration is in the process of drafting an executive order that would grant Vought veto power over every individual grant awarded by the NIH.</p><h2>NIH Funding Overview</h2><p>The NIH is the largest funder of biomedical research globally, with a budget of $47 billion, which exceeds the combined budgets of the next ten research funders. Its funding is primarily allocated through grants to academic researchers at universities, supporting a range of activities from basic biological research to clinical trials, contributing significantly to the growth of the biotechnology industry.</p>