Public commenters are overwhelmingly opposed to the White House’s proposal to expand its control over federal grants and their recipients, according to an analysis of currently available comments by a science advocacy organization.
People filed nearly half a million public comments on the draft Office of Management and Budget rule ahead of Monday’s deadline. The first-of-its-kind regulation would give OMB the last say in more than $1 trillion of federal assistance doled out each year to states, cities, academia, nonprofits and businesses. It would also make it easier for the executive branch to terminate grants that it disagrees with — something that has prompted ongoing litigation during the current Trump administration.
Only a fraction of the public comments OMB received have been uploaded to the proposal’s docket. But more than 53,000 comments that have been posted express almost universal opposition to the rule. Commenters say it would steer federal dollars toward projects and entities that politically align with the White House, with less focus on expert review and merit.
The draft, which the White House has said will become final by October, would also give the executive branch broad discretion to cancel grants that are already under contract and in progress. These awards might have been made under a previous administration — like EPA’s embattled Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund awards, which the agency declared terminated last year — if they are at odds with an incoming administration’s priorities.
