Wisevoter
U.S.

President Trump Rescinded Plan for NIH Grant Control

The administration withdrew a proposal that would have granted political appointees authority over federal research funding.

Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in COVID-19

Isometric editorial illustration featuring geometric research silos and a microscope, representing the structural oversight of scientific funding.
The Trump administration has rescinded a proposal that would have replaced the NIH's traditional peer review grant process with oversight by political appointees. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Should political appointees have the authority to veto NIH research grants?

President Trump proposed and subsequently rescinded a plan that would have shifted control of NIH grants from scientific peer review to political appointees. The move followed a 2025 administration decision to cut or freeze $3 billion in research funding.

Why it matters

The proposal raised significant concerns regarding the independence of federal research, as the plan would have allowed political actors to approve or veto specific grants. This change would have departed from the long-standing peer review process currently utilized by the NIH.

In 2025, the administration cut or froze $3 billion in NIH research grants, including a $2.2 million award for Richmond-based Evizia. The current NIH grant process operates through an established peer review system.

The players

President Donald Trump

The current President of the United States who oversees federal agency operations and policy.

National Institutes of Health

The primary federal agency responsible for biomedical and public health research through grant programs.

Evizia

A company based in Richmond, Virginia, that was awarded $2.2 million in NIH grant funding.

The details

The proposed policy sought to move decision-making authority over NIH research funding into the hands of political appointees. While the plan was rescinded in September 2026, the administration previously impacted the research sector by withholding billions in grant funding throughout 2025.

Timeline

  1. The administration cut or froze $3 billion in NIH research grants in 2025.

  2. Evizia received $2.2 million in NIH grant funding in 2025.

  3. President Trump proposed and then rescinded the grant control plan in September 2026.

The Big Picture

The proposed plan would have fundamentally altered the long-standing National Institutes of Health's peer review process. This shift represents a departure from the established method of using scientific experts to allocate federal research dollars.

Potential disruptions to federal research grants may impact the timeline for medical innovations and future treatment options available to the public. Changes to how grants are approved could influence the availability of funding for specific disease studies and diagnostic tools.

The takeaway

Maintaining the scientific independence of grant allocations is critical to ensuring that research priorities remain focused on objective health outcomes. Researchers and institutions should monitor future federal budget cycles for any renewed attempts to change institutional oversight.

Further reading

For more information on the evolving landscape of federal health oversight, visit the COVID-19 section.

Source note: This article includes information reported by 8News.

Live Poll

Should political appointees have the authority to veto NIH research grants?