The White House has abandoned a proposed executive order that would have transferred oversight of National Institutes of Health research grants to the White House, according to Senate Appropriations Committee leadership. Pressure from lawmakers, including the panel’s chair, had intensified over the plan, raising concerns about federal interference in scientific funding. The move comes amid ongoing debates over executive authority and the role of political influence in medical research. Critics argue such shifts could disrupt grant distribution and undermine the independence of scientific review processes.
The White House is backing down from a plan to issue an executive order that would give the White House control over scientific grants from the National Institutes of Health, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said. Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has been pressuring the White House Office of Management and Budget all week...
