White House plans to vet public grants for ‘American values’ spark broad alarm
New proposal quietly published last week would amount to ‘devastating blow’ for science, experts warn
TL;DR
- The White House is proposing that political appointees vet all public grants issued to universities and NGOs based on "American values" and the president's policy priorities.
- The proposal claims federal awards were used to promote a "woke" policy agenda that harmed public trust and wasted taxpayer resources.
- Researchers express concern that the changes will bypass peer review, allow grants to be terminated arbitrarily, and prevent international collaboration, constituting a "devastating blow to American science."
- The new rules could codify Trump-era restrictions on diversity, equity, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ gender identification, and empower political appointees to cancel grants deemed not "in the national interest."
- Critics liken the proposed system to Soviet communism, where political ideology dictates scientific funding, and fear it will "kill academic freedom."
- The changes would also explicitly ban the use of federal grant money to promote or support "disparate-impact" liability, including studies or litigation.
- Researchers worry the requirement to list conferences years in advance is impractical and inhibits scientific progress, alongside the risk of arbitrary defunding.
- The policy shift would centralize grant administration under the OMB head, Russell Vought, and would become binding regulation, not mere guidance.