Holland Reporter

Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI) has introduced the Grant Reform and NIH Transparency (GRANT) Act, aimed at increasing transparency and accountability at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The act will require the establishment of a Database of Denials for research proposals that are denied a grant or other award.

With nearly 83% of NIH's $48 billion budget dedicated to funding research through its grant program, the GRANT Act seeks to shed light on the decision-making process behind grant denials. It also calls for the creation of a mechanism to share NIH's internal grant-making information with independent, outside researchers.

Congressman Huizenga explains, "This legislation will increase transparency and bring much-needed light to the National Institutes of Health Grant Program. The GRANT Act will provide researchers as well as taxpayers the ability to see not only what research the National Institutes of Health is funding but also the rationale behind denying requests for funding."

In addition to promoting transparency, the GRANT Act aims to make the grant process at NIH more competitive, resulting in a more efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Congressman Huizenga believes that institutions should continue to innovate and compete to earn federal grants, and that Americans deserve their taxpayer dollars to be used for the most impactful and cutting-edge advancements possible.

The White Coat Waste Project, an organization that exposed how U.S. taxpayers funded the Wuhan lab, has endorsed Congressman Huizenga's GRANT Act. Anthony Bellotti, President and Founder of the White Coat Waste Project, commends the legislation, stating, "For too long, the National Institutes of Health has lacked transparency, accountability, and oversight. NIH's wasteful spending on gain-of-function bat and animal tests almost certainly caused COVID-19. Taxpayers have a right to know who's paying the bills...and who's cashing the checks. Now, thanks to Congressman Huizenga's new GRANT Act, we're one step closer to exactly that."

The GRANT Act is seen as a step towards restoring oversight, fostering innovation, and increasing accountability at NIH. The legislative text of the act is available for review.

For additional details, please follow this link: https://huizenga.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402742