1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump has begun drafting an executive order to establish a committee with the power to veto research awards that do not align with the administration\u2019s political agenda.<\/p>\n
The proposal, discussed<\/a> at a \u201chighly contentious\u201d meeting last Friday, would broaden the Trump administration\u2019s control over the National Institutes of Health\u2019s research portfolio at a time when the funding landscape at universities remains uncertain. The order is the latest in several attempts by the White House to exert control over the allocation of federal research awards.<\/p>\n A May proposal<\/a> from the Office of Management and Budget would put political appointees in charge of reviewing grants, giving them the authority to modify or cancel awards already in progress.<\/p>\n Microbiology professor Susan Weiss called the office\u2019s proposal a \u201cterrible idea.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt leaves open a lot of leeway for whoever\u2019s reviewing grants to fund what they think the current administration or leadership of the NIH wants,\u201d she said in an interview. \u201cIt\u2019s really vague how they\u2019re actually going to pick the grants.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the DP delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n Sign Up<\/a><\/p>\n The proposal was paused earlier this month, when Trump signed a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal budget funded. The bill funds the federal government through December, after which the Office of Management and Budget\u2019s plan would be revisited.<\/p>\n According to Cell and Developmental Biology professor Kenneth Zaret, under the policy, federal administrators who \u201cdon\u2019t necessarily know about the science\u201d would make key decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be a huge stake in the heart of the United States\u2019 ability to discover fundamental aspects of biology and medicine that would cure diseases and help people,\u201d Zaret explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n