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Controversy Erupts as OMB Director Russell Vought Halts NIH Funding, Risking Biomedical Research
Russell Vought, current Director of the Office of Management and Budget, has been at the center of a national controversy after the Office of Management and Budget suddenly halted all remaining funding from the National Institutes of Health earlier this week. The unprecedented move, prompted by a directive buried in a budget document footnote, sparked concern across the biomedical research community, risking $15 billion in research grants affecting major projects on diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer. Reports from the Wall Street Journal and statements from the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that the Office of Management and Budget freeze meant no new NIH contracts or grants would be issued for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Russell Vought defended the hold by stating that the NIH requires fundamental reform and has been weaponized against certain interests. He has been open about attempts to drastically reduce government spending, targeting NIH as one of the agencies for both “dramatic overhaul” and possible slashing of its budget for the coming year. According to Common Dreams, the White House and the Office of Management and Budget have floated a proposal to cut NIH funding by forty percent in the next fiscal cycle, a change the Congressional Budget Office warns could slow medical breakthroughs and the creation of new drugs.
After widespread outrage from both sides of Congress and criticism from scientists and public health leaders, the Office of Management and Budget reversed itself, releasing the funds after what the Health and Human Services Department called a programmatic review. Russ Vought’s actions prompted fourteen Senate Republicans to send him a letter urging immediate disbursement of grants, warning that delays undermine research and threaten jobs nationwide, as reported by the American Society for Cell Biology.
The debate has now spilled onto the floors of Congress, with Congresswoman Diana DeGette calling for Russ Vought to testify to explain his department’s actions and to advocate for the swift and uninterrupted release of research dollars. Inside Higher Ed reports that the uncertainty over the Office of Management and Budget’s willingness to use rescission, a procedural tool to take back appropriated funds midyear, has rattled scientists and administrators, raising concerns that future political interference could severely impact US leadership in biomedical discoveries.
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Published on 5 months, 1 week ago