The Follow the Science Act seeks to protect the independence of research and funding decisions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by restricting the involvement of political appointees in agency operations. The bill prohibits political appointees—defined as high-level executive branch officials and policy-focused positions—from working at the NIH or participating in decisions about managing NIH programs, with narrow exceptions for the NIH Director and a few other top leaders. Most significantly, political appointees would be barred from reviewing, scoring, or awarding NIH grants, contracts, and other research funding. The bill also requires the NIH Director to prevent the cancellation or suspension of research agreements without written justification citing financial fraud, mismanagement, or debarment, and mandates notification to Congress within 30 days of any such actions. Within 30 days of enactment, the NIH Director must report to Congress on any political appointee participation in these activities since January 2021.
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