NIH Director Bhattacharya Refuses Trump Demand to Cut Harvard Funding, Politico Reports

Key Points:

• NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya refused President Trump’s directive to cut Harvard’s federal research grants during a contentious Oval Office meeting, resisting the administration’s push to defund the university’s scientific research.
• Trump plans to establish a board of political appointees, including Bhattacharya and OMB Director Russell T. Vought, to oversee NIH grant approvals, requiring unanimous consent for funding decisions.
• Bhattacharya, once closely associated with Harvard President Alan Garber and the White House’s funding cuts, has distanced himself from efforts to slash Harvard’s NIH funding and previously advocated to retain support for Harvard-affiliated hospitals.
• Legal challenges have blocked the administration’s attempts to reduce Harvard’s federal funding, with courts ordering restoration of grants and dismissing lawsuits aimed at reclaiming nearly $1 billion over alleged civil rights violations.
• Harvard and NIH leadership have criticized funding caps and cuts as detrimental to national research, with ongoing appeals in the First Circuit court related to these disputes.