TL/DR –
US President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) to centralize control over research grants, a move that would overturn the decades-long process of awarding such grants by the US government. Under the new EO, political appointees, not civil servants or scientists, would oversee all aspects of research grants. The EO also freezes new funding opportunities until the new review processes, which must align with the President’s policy priorities and refrain from funding anything promoting “anti-American values,” are implemented.
Trump’s Executive Order Seeks to Centralize Control Over US Science Grants
US President Donald Trump signed a broad executive order (EO) advancing a new process for awarding research grants, superseding a long-standing system and placing control into the hands of political appointees. The administration’s latest move is seen as another effort to assert control over US science.
Trump’s EO vs. Traditional Research Grant Process
The EO mandates each US agency head to appoint someone to develop a grant-review process prioritizing Trump’s ‘gold-standard science’ plan, while not funding grants espousing “anti-American values”. The order could have an immediate impact, halting funding opportunities from agencies like the National Institutes of Health until new review processes are established.
Resistance from the Senate and Scientific Community
Despite the Senate largely rejecting Trump’s proposed science budget cuts, the latest EO shows the administration’s resolve to centralize control over funding. Criticisms of this move are widespread, with Jeremy Berg, a former NIH director, calling it a “power grab” on social media platform, Bluesky.
EO Promoting Political Interference?
The EO also insinuates that previous grant recipients like the National Science Foundation may have supported educators with anti-American ideologies. The changes in the grant-award process could see political appointees deciding key research funding decisions, as Democratic House member Zoe Lofgren described in a statement.
Conclusion Omitted
The White House did not respond to Nature about the order.
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