Jay Bhattacharya's Grant-Politics Fights: Indirect Costs, DEI, Harvard, and a Proposed Grant Veto

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya has backed — and become a focal point of — several running fights over who controls NIH grant money and how it is spent.

The 15% indirect-cost cap. Bhattacharya supported capping NIH indirect-cost reimbursement at 15%, matching private-foundation ratios, arguing that public trust in university spending has cratered. At his nomination hearing, Sen. Susan Collins called the cap “ill-conceived and completely arbitrary,” according to Healio’s March 2025 coverage. A federal judge blocked the cap after 22 state attorneys general sued, and the First Circuit later upheld the block.

DEI grant non-renewal. In a January 2026 interview with journalist Paul Thacker, Bhattacharya said DEI-related grants would not be renewed in 2026 — “We are not interested in funding DEI” — arguing that a decade-plus of DEI-focused work had not improved the health of minority populations (reported by AfroTech).

The Harvard pushback. In September 2026, The Harvard Crimson reported that Bhattacharya pushed back against a White House demand to cut Harvard’s NIH grants (via IndiaWest) — putting him at odds with the administration on a high-profile target.

The proposed grant veto. Separately, Politico and Reuters reported a proposed executive order creating a grant-approval board including Bhattacharya and budget chief Russ Vought requiring unanimous approval for grants — not issued as of September 21, 2026, according to the Tower Post.

The backlash. A June 2025 “Bethesda Declaration” signed by 92 named and roughly 250 anonymous NIH scientists accused the administration of politicizing research and urged Bhattacharya to reverse grant terminations. And current or recent NIH staff writing on Substack in June 2026 (the “27unihted” account) accused Bhattacharya of misleading Congress about FY26 grant-spending capacity.

Timeline

• March 2025: At his nomination hearing, Bhattacharya defends the 15% indirect-cost cap; Sen. Susan Collins calls it “ill-conceived and completely arbitrary” (Healio).
• 2025: A federal judge blocks the 15% cap after 22 state attorneys general sue; the First Circuit later upholds the block.
• June 2025: The “Bethesda Declaration,” signed by 92 named and ~250 anonymous NIH scientists, accuses the administration of politicizing research and urges grant terminations be reversed.
• January 2026: Bhattacharya tells journalist Paul Thacker that DEI-related grants will not be renewed in 2026 — “We are not interested in funding DEI” (AfroTech).
• June 2026: NIH-staff writers on Substack (“27unihted”) accuse Bhattacharya of misleading Congress about FY26 grant-spending capacity.
• September 2026: The Harvard Crimson reports Bhattacharya pushed back against a White House demand to cut Harvard’s NIH grants (via IndiaWest).
• September 21, 2026: The Tower Post reports a proposed executive order creating a grant-approval board including Bhattacharya and Russ Vought requiring unanimous approval — not issued as of that date.