Donald Trump's administration is reportedly moving forward with an executive order that would create a new board responsible for approving National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding. This move is seen as an effort to exert greater influence over research topics that may not align with the president's political views. According to reports from the Washington Post and Politico, the proposal was discussed in a recent meeting where senior officials accused the NIH of funding initiatives they labeled as "woke" — a term often used to describe progressive or socially conscious policies — and claimed these initiatives contradicted Trump's priorities. The proposed board, which would include Russell Vought, director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH director, would be tasked with reviewing biomedical research grants. The board would be required to reach unanimous decisions on funding approvals. The OMB, a key White House agency responsible for overseeing the implementation of presidential policies, has traditionally evaluated grants based on scientific merit rather than political alignment. This new approach would represent a significant departure from that standard. Jay Bhattacharya has previously resisted efforts to cut federal funding for research and has defended the NIH’s existing grant-making process. In contrast, Vought has advocated for reshaping federal spending to better reflect the administration’s priorities. The proposed move comes amid a class-action lawsuit filed by researchers who claim the Trump administration is interfering with scientific research by halting or altering grants that express views opposing the administration's agenda. The lawsuit argues that such actions may violate the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech and expression. The researchers contend that the government should not use its funding power to suppress or target specific viewpoints in the scientific community. Since Trump assumed office for his second term, the administration has frozen or reduced billions of dollars in federal grants related to health, nutrition, the environment, and disaster relief. Research involving terms like "equity," "racist," "gender," and "climate change" has been flagged by the administration, potentially limiting funding for such studies. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the NIH, and the White House have not yet commented on the reports.