Source: New York Times
“The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants funded by the National Institutes of Health. Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the directive aims to create a new external committee with the power to veto awards in the nation’s vast biomedical research portfolio that do not conform to Mr. Trump’s political agenda, according to people with knowledge of the effort. … Traditionally, the N.I.H. selects projects based on expert review of their scientific merit. But Mr. Trump has sought through a series of recent directives in his second term to bring that process under political review, arguing in part that the government has been funding ‘woke’ liberal priorities.” (09/20/26)