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3h ago

White House Moves To Put Political Appointees in Charge of Federal Grants

If adopted by October, the OMB’s 412‑page proposal would sideline expert peer review, broaden agencies’ power to cancel awards, and restrict DEI work and some foreign collaborations.

Researchers measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at the UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California on April 11, 2025. A new rule proposed by the Trump administration would put federal funding for scientific research in the hands of political appointees, likely cutting off money for studies of climate change and other topics the administration ideologically opposes.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought speaks during the Republican National Lawyers Association National Policy Conference in Washington, DC, in April.
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Overview

  • On May 29 the Office of Management and Budget published a roughly 412‑page draft rule that applies to all federal agencies and is open for public comment through July 13 while the White House aims to finalize it by October.
  • The rule would require senior political appointees to perform mandatory “pre‑issuance reviews” of every discretionary award and direct them to use their own “independent judgment” when vetting grants.
  • Peer review panels would be explicitly downgraded to advisory status, and agencies would gain authority to suspend or terminate active grants that “no longer advance” agency priorities or the national interest without a guaranteed appeals process for researchers.
  • The proposal bars use of funds for specified diversity, equity and inclusion and gender‑related activities, warns against work with undefined “foreign adversaries,” and would require agencies to pre‑approve conference and travel spending tied to grants.
  • Thousands of scientists, societies and nonprofits have submitted critical comments and held emergency meetings, legal challenges are expected, and the rule builds on an August 2025 executive order and ideas from Project 2025 that expand political oversight of grantmaking.