Rockville, MD – September 23, 2026 — The Obesity Society released the following statement in response to reports that the administration is considering an executive order that could give political appointees greater authority over National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding decisions:

“The Obesity Society strongly opposes any effort to inject political ideology into decisions about which scientific research receives federal funding.
Reports that the administration is considering giving political appointees authority over NIH grant decisions raise serious concerns about the future of independent, merit-based biomedical research in the United States. Scientific funding decisions should be based on scientific merit, rigorous peer review, and qualified expertise, not whether research aligns with the priorities of any administration.

The Obesity Society raised precisely these concerns in our July comments to the Office of Management and Budget. Adding political review to federal grantmaking could delay critical research, and it is the administration’s responsibility to preserve an expert-driven, merit-based process in which scientific peer review remains a substantive basis for funding decisions.

The stakes are high for more than 100 million American adults who are affected by obesity. Federally funded research has helped drive advances in the prevention, treatment, and management of obesity and related diseases. Allowing political considerations to override scientific merit threatens that progress and risks delaying research that could improve and save lives.

The Obesity Society calls on the administration to reject any policy that subjects scientifically reviewed research to a political litmus test and to protect a federal research system where evidence, expertise and scientific merit determine which research moves forward.”