Russell Vought Will Reportedly Be Given Veto Power Over All NIH Grants
Pending move comes over the objections of the NIH director.
TL;DR
- Russell Vought, OMB head, is seeking veto power over all NIH grants via an executive order.
- This move follows previous unsuccessful attempts by Vought to control NIH funding.
- The proposal reportedly aims to target universities like Harvard.
- NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya objected to the plan.
- The new system requires unanimous approval from a committee including Vought and Bhattacharya for grant funding.
- The practical implementation of reviewing thousands of grants is questioned.
- The action is described as potentially arbitrary, capricious, and illegal, likely to face court challenges.
- There is a risk of significant damage before courts can intervene.