Trump administration strips protections for top NIH officials

President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday.

It reclassifies thousands of civil service positions as political appointments, stripping job protections from senior officials who oversee roughly $47 billion in annual research grants at the National Institutes of Health. The White House estimates the order affects about 8,000 merit-based positions across the federal government. Among them are high-level NIH officials responsible for reviewing and disbursing biomedical research funding. Biomedical researchers and policy experts criticized the change when it was first proposed. They argue that removing federal worker protections makes these officials easier to fire, which could inject politics into science funding decisions. Science officials worry the shift makes the grants process more vulnerable to political interference. They say it threatens the stability of the research enterprise, which depends on predictable funding cycles that often span years or decades.

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Executive order details

The order creates a new category of federal employees called “Schedule F,” which allows the administration to reclassify career civil servants as at-will political appointees. These employees would lose their civil service protections against firing and could be removed without cause. The Schedule F classification was first introduced by the Trump administration in 2020 but was rescinded by President Biden. The current directive reinstates and expands it. The White House says the change is meant to increase accountability and ensure that federal employees are loyal to the president’s agenda. Critics say it’s a way to purge career staff who might resist political directives.

NIH positions affected

It does not specify which NIH positions will be reclassified.

At NIH, the positions most affected include deputy directors, institute directors, and senior scientists who oversee peer review of grant applications. These jobs have traditionally been filled by career scientists, not political appointees. One former NIH official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the change could discourage experienced scientists from taking leadership roles because they could be fired the day after an election. That will be left to agency heads and the Office of Personnel Management to determine.

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A long-running debate over science and politics

The tension between political control and scientific independence at the agency is not new. For decades, the institute has operated with a high degree of autonomy, with grant decisions made by scientific peer review panels rather than political appointees. That system has produced drugs, vaccines, and treatments worth trillions of dollars. But it’s also frustrated presidents who want more control over how federal research dollars are spent. The Trump administration has previously tried to influence the agency’s funding priorities. In 2019, political appointees blocked the renewal of a $30 million grant to a Columbia University researcher studying HIV transmission among drug users, sparking allegations of political interference. That incident is now cited by scientists who warn that removing protections could make such interventions routine. The policy takes effect immediately, but the actual reclassification process will take months. Each agency must identify which positions meet the criteria and submit them for approval.

Next steps

Legal challenges are expected.

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Federal employee unions have already signaled they will sue, arguing the measure violates the Civil Service Reform Act, which protects career employees from political retaliation. Some agency officials have already begun updating their resumes, according to two people familiar with the situation. Others are waiting to see how aggressively the administration pushes the change.

One thing is clear: this policy marks the most significant shift in federal personnel policy in decades, and its impact on biomedical research will be felt for years.