Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7173

Follow the Science Act

Congress Proposes New Rules to Block Political Appointees from Influencing NIH Research and Grants

Jan 21·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

This bill is sitting in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where it was sent in January 2026. No action has taken place on the bill for five months. It is currently stalled because the committee must review it before it can move forward.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, introduced by Representative DeGette, aims to stop political appointees from making decisions about medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It would prevent most political employees from working at the agency or managing its programs.
The policy would ban political staff from being involved in the process of choosing who gets government research money. This includes reviewing, scoring, or awarding grants and contracts for medical studies to ensure the best science wins.
To prevent research from being stopped for political reasons, the bill says the government cannot cancel or pause active grants unless there is proof of fraud or financial problems. If a project is stopped, officials must provide written evidence and notify Congress within 30 days.
The goal is to make sure that scientific experts, rather than political figures, decide which medical breakthroughs are funded. This helps ensure that research into diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's stays focused on health rather than political agendas.

Healthcare

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)

Federal Employee

Neutral

Political appointees would be barred from NIH roles and grant decisions. Career scientists gain more authority over research funding.

Positive Impacts(2)

Chronic Illness

Helps

Protects ongoing medical research funding from political cancellation, helping ensure studies on diseases continue uninterrupted.

Mental Health

Helps

Shields NIH mental health research grants from politically motivated cancellations, supporting continued scientific progress.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jan 21, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Jan 21, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Related News

3 articles

BioWorld·Jan 23

Legislation seeks to guard NIH from politicization

Rep. Diana DeGette introduced the Follow the Science Act to shield the NIH from political interference. The bill would cap political appointees, prohibit them from participating in grant reviews, and prevent the agency from terminating grants without documented scientific cause.

Center

Nature·Jan 22

Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026

Crucial grant-review panels for more than half of NIH institutes are on track to lose all voting members within the year, potentially freezing new grants. Rep. DeGette's Follow the Science Act is highlighted as a legislative effort to protect the agency's integrity amid these challenges.

Center

Inside Higher Ed·Jan 20

Again Defying Trump, Congress Proposes Increasing NIH Budget, Maintaining ED

Bipartisan congressional committees proposed legislation to increase the NIH budget, rebuking administration calls for cuts. The report mentions Rep. DeGette's introduction of the Follow the Science Act as part of a broader effort to shield research agencies from executive overreach.

Center

No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.