GoKawiilCongress temporarily blocks OMB rule giving political appointees control over science grants
A stopgap government funding bill passed by the House and expected to be signed by President Trump includes language, inserted by Senators Patty Murray and Susan Collins, that bars the Office of Management and Budget from enacting a rule letting political appointees decide which research grants get funded or canceled. The freeze only lasts until the funding measure expires on December 11, but it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support—90-6 in the Senate and 370-48 in the House.
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The blocked OMB rule had alarmed scientific and health organizations because it would have let administration officials override peer-reviewed funding decisions and cancel grants at will, undermining the independence of federal research funding. The lopsided votes suggest Congress may be willing to keep inserting similar protections into future spending bills, though the current fix is temporary and the underlying threat remains unresolved.
- Stopgap funding bill blocks a proposed OMB rule giving political appointees power over science grants until December 11.
- Senators Murray and Collins added the protective language amid strong opposition from scientific and health groups.
- Wide bipartisan margins (90-6 Senate, 370-48 House) suggest similar protections could be extended in future budget deals.
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Published there as: “Spending deal comes with a bonus: Blocking political control of grants”
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