Lawmakers Challenge Changes to NIH Grant Process

House Democrats are urging the Trump administration to withdraw a proposal to revamp the federal grantmaking process at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). They argue it could introduce political bias into scientific research.

“The damage of this obvious power grab by political leadership in the Trump Administration threatens to inflict severe harm on the nation’s biomedical research enterprise by usurping the critical role of scientific experts in the approval and funding of grants at NIH,”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats wrote. Signatories include Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), and Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.).

The rule proposed by the White House would alter grant approval by reducing emphasis on peer reviews and granting political appointees more control. It would restrict research on diversity and impose limitations on international collaborations.

The administration presents this as a move to enhance transparency and reduce governmental waste. Critics argue it would align research spending with political interests rather than scientific merit.

Democrats requested answers from NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and urged the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to rescind the rule, which might face legal challenges if implemented.

In other health news, a flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas has affected over 220 troops. The FDA has launched ‘Operation Trailblazer,’ an initiative aimed at accelerating early-stage clinical trials to counter the trend of companies moving trials overseas.

Meanwhile, Congo’s Ministry of Health reports over 1,000 Ebola cases, primarily in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. Concerns are mounting over the virus spreading in a heavily populated displacement camp.