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Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought talks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House on June 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
(Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
'These People Should Not Be Managing a Lemonade Stand': Trump Admin Throws NIH Funding Into Chaos
The administration paused National Institutes of Health research funding before reversing course hours later amid fierce backlash.
Jul 30, 2025
The White House budget office, led by far-right ideologue and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, temporarily halted National Institutes of Health funding for scientific research on Tuesday before announcing that the pause was lifted hours later, sparking further chaos and confusion at a key agency that's under growing attack from the administration.
The pause, which would have impacted roughly $15 billion in funding for research institutions across the United States, was implemented due to a footnote from Vought's office "in a document that doles out federal funds" to the NIH, according to The Wall Street Journal.
News of the pause, which applied to research grants and contracts, sparked immediate outrage, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) warning it underscored the administration's plan to "decimate lifesaving research in this country."
But the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) appears to have reversed course. The Washington Post reported that the agency "releas[ed] the funds later in the day." The Health and Human Services Department, which oversees NIH, pointed to an OMB spokesperson's statement that "the funds were released" after a "programmatic review."
"The chaos and dysfunction of the Trump administration is staggering," Murray said Tuesday. "These people should not be managing a lemonade stand, much less all federal cancer research."
The White House has proposed slashing the NIH's budget by 40% next fiscal year. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said earlier this month that the Trump administration's proposed cuts would "ultimately decrease the number of new drugs coming to market."
Tuesday's pause added to the turmoil at an agency that has already faced mass firings and attempts to slash critical funding.
Over the weekend, Vought described the NIH as "an agency that needs dramatic overhaul." Mother Jones reported earlier this year that the NIH "funded research that helped scientists better understand cystic fibrosis, which led to Vertex Pharmaceuticals developing a cutting-edge treatment" that Vought's daughter benefited from.
The Trump administration's effort to slash NIH funding "means that research into rare diseases, already inadequate, may slow down," the outlet noted.
"Ninety-five percent of rare diseases, unlike cystic fibrosis, have no treatment, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and most organizations lack the budget to fund drug research in partnership with pharmaceutical companies," Mother Jones added.
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donald trumpoffice of management and budgetpublic healthrussell voughtwar on sciencenational institutes of health
The White House budget office, led by far-right ideologue and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, temporarily halted National Institutes of Health funding for scientific research on Tuesday before announcing that the pause was lifted hours later, sparking further chaos and confusion at a key agency that's under growing attack from the administration.
The pause, which would have impacted roughly $15 billion in funding for research institutions across the United States, was implemented due to a footnote from Vought's office "in a document that doles out federal funds" to the NIH, according to The Wall Street Journal.
News of the pause, which applied to research grants and contracts, sparked immediate outrage, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) warning it underscored the administration's plan to "decimate lifesaving research in this country."
But the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) appears to have reversed course. The Washington Post reported that the agency "releas[ed] the funds later in the day." The Health and Human Services Department, which oversees NIH, pointed to an OMB spokesperson's statement that "the funds were released" after a "programmatic review."
"The chaos and dysfunction of the Trump administration is staggering," Murray said Tuesday. "These people should not be managing a lemonade stand, much less all federal cancer research."
The White House has proposed slashing the NIH's budget by 40% next fiscal year. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said earlier this month that the Trump administration's proposed cuts would "ultimately decrease the number of new drugs coming to market."
Tuesday's pause added to the turmoil at an agency that has already faced mass firings and attempts to slash critical funding.
Over the weekend, Vought described the NIH as "an agency that needs dramatic overhaul." Mother Jones reported earlier this year that the NIH "funded research that helped scientists better understand cystic fibrosis, which led to Vertex Pharmaceuticals developing a cutting-edge treatment" that Vought's daughter benefited from.
The Trump administration's effort to slash NIH funding "means that research into rare diseases, already inadequate, may slow down," the outlet noted.
"Ninety-five percent of rare diseases, unlike cystic fibrosis, have no treatment, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and most organizations lack the budget to fund drug research in partnership with pharmaceutical companies," Mother Jones added.
The White House budget office, led by far-right ideologue and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, temporarily halted National Institutes of Health funding for scientific research on Tuesday before announcing that the pause was lifted hours later, sparking further chaos and confusion at a key agency that's under growing attack from the administration.
The pause, which would have impacted roughly $15 billion in funding for research institutions across the United States, was implemented due to a footnote from Vought's office "in a document that doles out federal funds" to the NIH, according to The Wall Street Journal.
News of the pause, which applied to research grants and contracts, sparked immediate outrage, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) warning it underscored the administration's plan to "decimate lifesaving research in this country."
But the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) appears to have reversed course. The Washington Post reported that the agency "releas[ed] the funds later in the day." The Health and Human Services Department, which oversees NIH, pointed to an OMB spokesperson's statement that "the funds were released" after a "programmatic review."
"The chaos and dysfunction of the Trump administration is staggering," Murray said Tuesday. "These people should not be managing a lemonade stand, much less all federal cancer research."
The White House has proposed slashing the NIH's budget by 40% next fiscal year. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said earlier this month that the Trump administration's proposed cuts would "ultimately decrease the number of new drugs coming to market."
Tuesday's pause added to the turmoil at an agency that has already faced mass firings and attempts to slash critical funding.
Over the weekend, Vought described the NIH as "an agency that needs dramatic overhaul." Mother Jones reported earlier this year that the NIH "funded research that helped scientists better understand cystic fibrosis, which led to Vertex Pharmaceuticals developing a cutting-edge treatment" that Vought's daughter benefited from.
The Trump administration's effort to slash NIH funding "means that research into rare diseases, already inadequate, may slow down," the outlet noted.
"Ninety-five percent of rare diseases, unlike cystic fibrosis, have no treatment, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and most organizations lack the budget to fund drug research in partnership with pharmaceutical companies," Mother Jones added.
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