President Trump on Thursday signed an government order tightening management of the federal grant funding course of, requiring political appointees to log off on every grant.
The order directs every company head to designate a senior appointee who shall be liable for making a course of to evaluation grant alternative bulletins and to make sure any grants awarded are “in line with company priorities and the nationwide curiosity.”
“In brief, there’s a robust must strengthen oversight and coordination of, and to streamline, company grantmaking to handle these issues, forestall them from recurring, and guarantee better accountability to be used of public funds extra broadly,” the order states. “The Authorities holds tax income in belief for the American folks, and companies ought to deal with it accordingly.”
The textual content of the order cites federal grants which were given to universities which might be used to cowl “amenities and administrative prices.” It additionally factors to a federal grant that supported gain-of-function analysis, which got here underneath scrutiny amid the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.
The order is a part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to evaluation and remove funding that doesn’t align with the president’s “America First” agenda.
For months, Trump has clashed with Ivy League universities like Harvard, Brown and Penn. The Division of Authorities Effectivity has additionally sought to slash federal contracts, whereas the White Home labored with Congress to claw back roughly $9 billion in beforehand accepted funding for State Division applications and the Company for Public Broadcasting.