Overview

• An OMB footnote authored by Director Russell Vought had barred NIH from issuing any new external research grants, contracts or training awards, effectively freezing about $15 billion in funding.
• Four hours after the footnote was issued on July 29, an OMB spokesperson confirmed that withheld funds were released and NIH could resume awarding grants.
• A bipartisan group of 14 Senate Republicans led by Sen. Katie Britt warned that withholding congressionally approved funding was unlawful and demanded an immediate lift of the pause.
• Sen. Patty Murray and NIH leadership had criticized the restriction as a threat to vital biomedical research and worked internally to overturn the funding hold.
• The reversal restores NIH’s ability to fund new awards and prevents unspent appropriations from reverting to the U.S. Treasury at fiscal year end.