A White House order set to go into effect today that would freeze huge chunks of federal spending is the latest attempt by President Donald Trump to bend the government to his will. Democrats say it violates the law giving final spending authority to Congress, and several states and nonprofit groups have gone to court to block the order. A federal judge temporarily blocked its implementation late this afternoon. But science advocates worry that if it proceeds, it could jeopardize federal support for research by delaying many grants for an indefinite period.
Under the order, which was to take effect at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, each agency is supposed to begin to identify any of its programs or activities disbursing funds that might clash with the new administration’s priorities. Those topics are described in a welter of executive orders issued since Trump took office on 20 January, and include foreign aid; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs; support for “woke gender ideology;” and the “green new deal.” The 27 January memo from Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), also calls out any money going to “nongovernmental organizations”—which would seem to apply to anyone working at thousands of colleges, universities, and medical centers.
“This memo is an overly broad mandate that is unnecessary and damaging,” says Mark Becker, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, which represents major research campuses. “OMB’s action has injected an enormous amount of confusion and uncertainty across the nation. We urge the Trump administration to reverse this sweeping order."
At this point that seems unlikely, although OMB did issue a follow-up memo today saying some categories of federal spending, such as student loans and child care programs, are not covered by the freeze. It did little, however, to clarify the status of federal research programs. So here is a short primer on what it could mean for how the government funds academic science.
More: https://www.science.org/content/article/your-research-trump-s-spending-hit-list
