President Trump ordered budget chief Russ Vought to draft an executive order that centralizes federal health research spending. The proposed directive would reportedly place $48 billion in National Institutes of Health grant funding under direct presidential authority, utilizing a board that includes Vought and Jay Bhattacharya to make unanimous decisions on award recipients.

This move follows a Friday Oval Office meeting in which the NIH Director refused a request to cut funding for Harvard University. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson stated that NIH grant monies will be disbursed, though officials including Stephen Miller and Will Scharf were present when the President requested the funding shift.