Post

@markhisted.org

“The arrangement would give Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, a direct role in determining how NIH distributes its $48 billion in congressionally-appropriated money.” Bypassing the many checks and balances at NIH on grant funding decisions.

Politico@politico.com

Trump asked budget chief to draft order bringing health research funding under his control

dlvr.itTrump asked budget chief to draft order bringing health research funding under his controlThe move came after the NIH director refused Trump’s request to cut Harvard grants in an Oval Office meeting.

@markhisted.org

“Senior administration officials argued in the Oval Office on Friday over whether … NIH should further cut its spending,” As stated, this is illegal (and unconstitutional) impoundment

20/9/26, 4:02 am17 reposts86 likes

@markhisted.org

“Vought and other administration officials floated an additional review of the agency’s grant-making… and discussed a potential executive order establishing a commission to review the NIH’s grants.” This sounds like the kind of agency reorganization that requires Congress to pass a law.

@markhisted.org

“Vought told Congress during a hearing in June that “when we find [a grant] that’s problematic that our policy officials would not have caught, we need to be able to turn it off,” he said.”’ That is as plain a statement of the unitary executive approach to running science agencies as I can imagine

@markhisted.org

See also this piece from @ddiamond.bsky.social and @rbeggin.bsky.social

washingtonpost.comWhite House budget chief pushes for scrutiny of NIH grants in Oval Office clashRussell Vought argued the agency has been funding “woke” priorities and suggested the president create a commission to review grants from the National Institutes of Health.

@markhisted.org

“Trump on Friday asked NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to cut Harvard’s funding but Bhattacharya refused, the officials said” A lot is riding on /how/ Trump did that. NIH can and is already slowing down Harvard’s funding. And most addl cuts now would draw legal action. So what did Trump ask for?

factsuniteus.bsky.social

@factsuniteus.bsky.social

Of course this is just an excuse to gain light switch power over million dollar grants to red state and blue states. The problem is not that they can’t develop a process that’s highly reliable. They want to shut off blue state money and shove it over to red states and in particular Trump payees.