White House moves to give political appointees more power over federal grants
The 412-page proposal would let senior appointees override expert panels and review grants for compliance with presidential priorities.
- On Thursday, the White House released a more than 400-page proposal giving political appointees final approval authority over federal research grants, scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on Friday.
- The Office of Management and Budget , led by Russell Vought, claims the plan corrects a "woke" policy agenda under President Joe Biden that "wasted a great amount of taxpayer resources and caused great harm to public trust."
- Scientific peer review at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation would become advisory, as the proposal states "senior appointees must conduct these reviews and apply specific principles when evaluating proposals."
- Public comment on the proposed regulations lasts 45 days, a period Matt Owens, president of the Council on Government Relations, called "unusually short" for wide-ranging changes affecting more than 150 research universities.
- Rules authorize officials to terminate existing awards for research deemed inappropriate, a power Colette Delawalla, founder of the science advocacy group Stand Up for Science, warned constitutes "government overreach" risking the nation's scientific ecosystem.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Associated Press News
White House moves to give political appointees more power over federal grants
The White House is moving to give political appointees more control over federal grants. New proposed rules published Friday would require senior administration officials to review funding awards to ensure they align with the law and presidential priorities.
Trump Gives Political Appointees Power Over Federal Grants
Trump Hands Political Loyalists Control Over Federal Research Grants Science for Sale: How the Trump White House Is Turning Peer Review Into a Political Loyalty Test The Trump administration just made its boldest move yet to put partisan politics ahead of science. On May 29, 2026, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget released a sweeping 412-page proposal that would hand political appointees final authority over billions of dollars i…
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